Light in Catastrophe
by Ag-ro-tag
Summary: "Today, 15th of July 2863, is the day we created something marvelous. We created a new life..." The subject #15, code-name 'Ichigo', is created by using the DNA sample of one of the best guardians. Hoped to be 'the savior' of the heavenly city Soul Society, the humanoid yet learns about the true disaster in the future... Strong language, characters' death, different pairings
1. Birth of hope

**Ag-ro-tag's note!**  
**Yep, it's me again! Somehow I managed to write something! It's been such a long time...**

**But I'll tell you more at the end. For now, here you have formalities:**

**- Characters used here are from manga 'Bleach' by Kubo Tite, so I don't own them (I may own some OCs later, but it depends if I have any)**

**- For any grammar or spelling mistakes (though I tried to check them three times!) I horribly apologize.**

**That's all for now! See you below the text!**

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- BIRTH OF HOPE -

„Doctor Aizen, we're about to perform the general system re-boot of the Subject No. 15. We're waiting for your orders."

Year 2863.

„Thank you, assistant Nemu. Good job, Doctor Mayuri, this surely is a splendid work."

The Earth hadn't become a friendly place for original inhabitants – humans. All natural resources had been worn out. Flora and fauna had completely disappeared without a trace. The density of air pollution colored whole sky into different shades of brown and gray. Only big cities, desserts and fields of junk could be found. Living in these inhumane conditions forced people to look for a solution to that natural disaster.

„Do not flatter me. I just followed my brilliant design."

For hundreds of years people had worked on constructing the air-city –the government launched buildings into the sky, above the layer of pollution. Tons of buildings' foundations, kilometers high, were stabilizing the place, where people could barely call 'new home'. The city was named 'Soul Society'. However, not everyone was lucky enough to live in this 'heavenly' place, for only 'chosen ones' could be honored. Soul Society's population reached around 1 000 000 000 people. 1/4 of them were scientists.

„You surely are full of yourself. Don't forget the project was my idea."

„Oh, forgive me, forgive me. C'mon, don't be so uptight. So, are we ready for the birth of this wonder?"

In the year 2400 the 'Hueco Mundo Department of Science and Species' had announced the Great Selection. People from all over the world participated in multiple tests, which were supposed to assess the strength and the purity of genes. By that time, there were lots of diseases and unknown mutations. Only those, who weren't burdened by genetic disorders could be called 'chosen ones'. Of course, if a person was also prestigious in the field of genetics, bio-engineering and medicine, the test was just a formality.

„Just wait for a moment... I want to cherish the sight for a little longer. After all, **this** is the future of Soul Society."

Year 2500 – about 600 buildings, both public buildings and residences were built about 20 kilometers above the ground. The army started to transport people with pure genes to their new homeland. Unfortunately, about 20 000 of them weren't able to survive the first 24 hours. Scientists found the problem – the oxygen concentration was too low for the respiratory system. The global transfer to Soul Society had to be stopped or else all 'chosen ones' were about to disappear.

„A perfect creation, Doctor Aizen."

„Yes... Very well, shall we start? Nemu, please tell the others at the Vital Department and call all doctors and engineers."

„Shall I also call the Head Commander, Doctor Aizen? Doctor Mayuri?"

„No, not yet. We'll inform him after the re-boot. After all, we did that with the subject No. 1 and it was really shameful to show our big failure to the Head Commander."

„As you wish."

Year 2552 – the area of Soul Society had been covered in glass domes. Engineers invented tubes that pumped the air through filters right to the Soul Society. Thanks to that, the global transfer was held again, transporting 20 000 people. A group of 1 000 scientists observed people's reaction to the new habitat and recorded all changes in their behavior, physical appearance and mental state. Two years later another 30 000 were moved to Soul Society. The records had shown rapid loss of weight, poor skin condition due to greater exposition to UV radiation, but they also showed good ratings in mentality. The new area made everybody feel a bit anxious or panicked. Scientists were trying to invent better synthetic nutrition to stop weight loss. The improvement was visible after consumption of a substance from 'Hueco Mundo', which was later called 'Soul Candy'.

Year 2561 – the nutritional problem was solved. Population – 150 000 people. Births given in Soul Society – about 50 000. Deaths – 60 000. Scientists were still testing remaining 7 billion people living on the Earth. Strict rules of the Great Selection caused many mutinies and terrorist attacks on 'Hueco Mundo' Science Department's Nobody wanted to stay on the dead Earth. The government did all it could to stop all riots and keep livable conditions on the planet.

Year 2578 – the organization 'Vizard' had been established. People with 'bad' genes formed groups and started building tunnels and underground cities. 'Hueco Mundo' offered help, providing nutrition, newest developments and scientists.

„Mayuri, it's time."

„Of course, Aizen, of course. Take all your positions! Shut down all unnecessary machines, systems, computers! The project 'Substitute' is about to begin!"

Almost two hundred years later Souls Society had to expand itself. People had assimilated to the unnatural environment, but their life-span was drastically shortened. A person without strengthening mutations or without per-medical treatment was able to live 35 years average. Soul Society's Head Commander, Yamamoto Genryuusai, began the project that was supposed to hold genes' purity and strength while being injected inside of a humanoid. Doctor of Medicine and Science Aizen Souske, respected geneticist and bio-engineer, with a help of Doctor Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Doctor Urahara Kisuke formed the 'Substitute' project. The humanoid they created was supposed to be perfect in every cell of its body. Every system was built with precision and care. Even though the humanoid was made 100% from synthetic materials and micro-computerized systems, nobody could tell a difference from the outside.

Year 2863, Hueco Mundo Department of Bio-technology and Genetics, Sector D 23, Hall 1.

The hall was covered in strange machinery and all kinds of wires that were connecting to the human-sized capsule in the center. The walls of Hall 1 were covered in glass, where about 30 people were standing and observing the on-going experiment. Among them, there were three scientists – a tall, brown-haired man with black-framed glasses and brown eyes; a blond man with shaggy, shoulder-length hair and gray eyes; and a man with black&white-colored skin, wearing a strange pharaoh-like hat with his blue hair attached to it and with a big, yellow-teeth smile. These men were Souske Aizen, Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

„Hurry up, you lazy bums! I don't want to beat up your asses for the 15th time. Make sure you don't screw this up!" Mayuri shouted at everybody, causing ruckus among fellow scientists, who were quickly pushing series of buttons and calling each other out.

„I dunno, guys. In my opinion, the subject is far from ready." Doctor Urahara whined and scratched his head in confusion. He gave a concerned look at the capsule in the hall behind the glass. „Are you sure we tested every system thoroughly? Last time we lost the subject No. 14, because we hadn't checked the nervous system properly. All proteins in the brain just fried like eggs."

„Kisuke, just shut up." The black'n'white man spoke with irritation. „We run about 15 tests on each system and this time they are all positive. Now let's go to the Main Console. "

„I agree." Aizen spoke after staring at his creation with care and satisfaction. He knew that there was no way this attempt was going to fail. After a while, a slim woman with dark-blue, braided hair and unmoved facial expression approached three doctors.

„Doctor Aizen, the Department is ready. All power sources are concentrated on the life-capsule of the subject No. 15. It is time to begin the process of the Vitalization."

„Thank you, Nemu." The brown-haired smiled at the young assistant and joined Urahara and Mayuri near the Main Console. „Alright, I want your full attention!" All talking and whispering stopped, everybody was afraid to make a single move. Their attention was turned to the Head Doctor. „Under no circumstances is anybody allowed to touch anything or speak. If I happen to catch someone violating this rule, I swear, that person is going to the Seretei Safety Station and, then, sent straight to the Earth with no shelter and no help!" Shivers run down everyone's spines. „Now that you have been warned, I'd like to present you... the Future." Aizen took a last glance at the capsule and corrected his glasses on his nose. „Project 'Substitute', stage one – increase power concentration on capsule's generators."

„Done." Urahara turned on a monitor with statistics of the capsule.

„Stage two – drain all the bio-vitamin substance inside the capsule."

„Roger." Mayuri pushed a proper combination of buttons. Red lights were flashing in Hall one and soon the alarm was set, letting everybody know that the drain began. All scientists observed how the liquid content inside the capsule started to disappear, leaving a human-like figure. Everyone gasped. The only thing the body didn't have was a face. The humanoid couldn't take a proper form without a proper genes that could define its phenotype. „The drain is complete."

„Now the most important..." Aizen abused the keyboard in front of him, writing down various codes, combinations and orders only he and his fellow doctors knew. „Stage the – injecting the sample of deoxyribonucleic acid from human subject." Sweat formed drops on his forehead as he pressed 'ENTER'. The capsule had three big syringes on the left side, on the right side and in the front of the humanoid. After three sound signals, three needles pierced through humanoid's skin and injected the content of syringes. The humanoid shook violently, changing its form rapidly. Scientists held their breaths as they knew that this was the key moment of whole experiment. All digits, limbs, features started to form. Doctor Urahara turned on the capsule's inner camera,which was pointed right at the humanoid's face. A small group formed in front of the monitor. Smooth surface of perfectly oval head started to corrugate, firstly shaping the jaw and forehead, then a nose without holes and lips. „Urahara, statistics, now."

„The DNA has took over 75% of gene-absorbing tissue of the humanoid. In about 30 seconds all organs will be ready to start working."

„Not yet..." Aizen frowned. He recalled the subject No. 10. They were really close to success, but they decided to start all internal organs before the outer form was completed. And so, they actuated the respiratory system before the nose holes and mouth opened. The subject immediately died of suffocation. „Just a little more..." He watched the face looking more like a human. This time, it was a boy, somewhere around 16-17 years old. His features were pretty handsome with his smoothly curved jawline and big eyelids. He looked at the lips, seeing that the line between them formed and parted, opening the humanoid's mouth. „Now! Stage four – Vitalization!"

„Nemu! Useless brat, come here!" Mayuri shouted at the girl and forced her to stand between him and Doctor Aizen. „Check if all systems are working properly!"

„Yes, Doctor Mayuri."

„I'm beginning the sequence of all systems inside humanoid's body." Urahara wrote down the code and began the process.

„Listen carefully, Nemu. If you screw this up, I'm going to abandon you and build another, maybe less useless daughter than you!"

„Yes, Doctor Mayuri."

„The nervous system." All monitors changed their pictures and were showing different codes and designs of humanoid's signs, statistics and systems.

„The brain works 100%. All neurons effective. Nuclei are working. Spinal cord is working. Ganglia are working. Peripheral system is ready to provide all internal organs with impulses from the brain." The girl spoke quickly in a machine manner. Some scientists felt unwell with the way the girl assistant informed about vital signs, but they eventually ignored it. The humanoid's eyelids were shaking violently.

„The circulatory system."

„Heart's left and right atria animated. Heart's left and right ventricles animated. The synthetic blood-substance is circulating without any obstructions. The 'blood' distribution to all organs and cells is optimal. Gas exchange between pulmonary alveoli and pulmonary arteries and veins is appropriate."

„The respiratory system."

„Airways without obstructions. Air flow is optimal. The subject started to breathe. Gas exchange began. The carbon dioxide is being rejected from the system."

„The oxygen saturation goes up..." Urahara wiped his forehead with a tissue and smiled. „I can't believe it... Three main systems are now working... All organs begin to work." He looked at the monitor with the subject's face and observed every movement, like breathing from nose and mouth or shaking eyelids. The facial-shaping process has been finished, making the subject look no different from any other human being. „Aizen... This is a miracle..."

„This is science, Urahara." The man with glasses smiled at his fellow worker. „Imagine this – if the project becomes a success, we will be able to take samples of the Subject's DNA and give them to the people of Soul Society. Thanks to that, they'll live years longer, even several decades or who knows? Maybe centuries..."

„Or infinity..." Urahara ended the sentence. „Do you think this will be the answer to eternal life?" Aizen snickered under his nose, partially concentrating on Nemu's information about the Subject, on the other hand thinking about finding the cure to death.

„This will take a while, but it's possible."

„What I'm sure of is that people on the Earth will be able to to overcome all dangerous conditions." The blond scientist spoke, losing himself in thoughts. „With the new DNA they won't need to eat, they won't need to drink, they'll be resistant to cold, heat, and pollutions."

„This can be risky, Urahara." Aizen frowned. „Remember, we can't go giving the DNA around to anybody. The high priority for now is to maintain Soul Society. The matter of the Earth for now is not important." Urahara's eyes opened wide. He was about to answer to Aizen's rather ruthless statement, when Nemu informed about the end of animating internal organs. „All systems are working perfectly." He pushed some buttons and the red light stopped. Glass walls parted, making a passage between the scientists' room and Hall 1. Doctor Aizen indicated to Mayuri and Urahara to come with him. All three of them approached the centre of the hall, where the capsule was. They looked at the Subject No. 15 to find any problems or deformities. Aizen hummed before giving the last order. „Stage five – adaptation to the new environment. Nemu, open the capsule." The girl assistant gave the order to the Main Console and immediately a glass lid of the capsule opened. Scientists observed skin reaction. „Nemu, Hall 1 statistics."

„Temperature – 28 degrees of Celsius Humidity – 70%. Nitrogen – 78%. Oxygen – 21%."

„Stop, that's enough!" Mayuri shouted. „The hall has almost the same atmosphere as normally on the Earth. The Subject seems to react on these conditions quite well."

„Indeed." Aizen agreed, observing how the humanoid's cheeks became a little pick from the temperature. He put a glove on and checked the Subject's temperature with a thermometer. „It's 35,5 degrees. Rather cold, but it's still optimal." Urahara took notes of all information. He got closer to the Subject.

„Can you hear me?" The blond shouted right into the humanoid's ear, expecting appropriate reaction. To his satisfaction, the boy cringed at the volume. „Reaction is good. His facial muscles started to work.. The sense of hearing is checked."

„What about his vision?" Aizen asked.

„We shall check that later. It's definitely too bright, he may get blind immediately. After all, this is a very delicate matter."

„Right. Well, we need to run some tests. Firstly we need to get his balance and motion right. Then we'll start the learning process. But for now..." Aizen turned around to face the group of doctors and engineers he had been working with since the beginning of the 'Substitute' project. „Everybody, please, listen to me! Today, 15th of July 2863, is the day we created something marvelous. We created a new life. The experiment on the Subject No. 15 is finished with success!" Everybody roared in happiness, congratulated each other either by shaking hands or hugging. Aizen went to the crowd to be showered with praises, comments and compliments.

„Hey, Urahara, who is the donor?" Doctor Mayuri eyed the Subject form head to toe. „That surely is an exquisite appearance. But a bit too young for my taste."

„It was better to give younger DNA so that we can monitor all changes." Urahara replied and searched for the right document. „Let's see... Where was it... I'm sure it's somewhere here-A HA! The donor – Shiba Kaien."

„Shiba Kaien?" The doctor scratched his blue hair in thought. „I have heard this name before."

„You must have. This is one of the thirteen main guardians of Seretei Safety Station, also known to be the best of the best. He ended The Shinigami Academy in only two years."

„A genius, huh?" Mayuri took documents away from his co-scientists. „He'll be pretty surprised to see his own copy."

„I don't think so." Urahara sighed. „About 3 years ago he was taking part of mutiny near the Rukongai district 49. After that, he just disappeared into thin air. Last year his status was changed into 'deceased'. It's believed he was killed."

„Hmm, too bad for the boy..." Mayuri gave the documents back and was about to join Doctor Aizen.

„We should give him a name, don't you think?" Urahara closed the glass lid of the capsule, waiting for co-workers of his Department to transfer the humanoid. „He can't be called 'Subject No. 15' all the time."

„Maybe just 15?"

„No, no numbers..." The blond man tried to come up with an ideal name. „15. Fifteen. One and five... Five and one... Go-Ichi..." He mumbled under his nose all combinations until he shouted. „Ichigo!"

„Ichigo?" Mayuri was surprised. „You used Japanese? Nobody uses that language anymore."

„But our names are Japanese."

„Yeah, but only because our ancestors are from Japan and we're in 'Japanese district' of Soul Society."

„And because we're Japanese at some point, he's going to be too." Urahara smiled to Mayuri's confusion and took a last glance at the humanoid, who seemed to be sleeping.

_You're going to change this world, Ichigo..._

* * *

**Ag-ro-tag's note continued!**

**Hiya! So, did you like it? I'm still shipping pairing IchigoxKaien, so I hope this story will turn out somehow. And DON'T ASK ME ABOUT MY OTHER STORIES I HAVEN'T FINISHED! The time may pass by, but I still look through my writings and try to find solutions. Anyway, if you're interested in some of my other stories, I can invite you to my profile ;)**

**And about the story over all... My inspiration came from different directions, such as games (The Last of Us, Bioshock all parts), music (I used Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygen), I also try to keep up with Bleach (though I'm even more and more confused...). Changing Ichigo into almost-human humanoid with Kaien's genes inside seems believable to me ;) But I don't know if I still have the same skill of writing as I used to. **

**You should decide ;)**

**Take care! And thanks for any review I get!**


	2. Part of freedom

**A/N note later!**  
**READ, ENJOY, REVIEW!**

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-PART OF FREEDOM-

A month later, the Head Commander of Soul Society decided to visit the Vital Department himself. He tried to contact the head scientists of the 'Substitute' project, but there was no reply. The old man caressed his long, silver beard in thought and stood in front of the door. He took out his walking stick and knocked. He could hear an uproar behind the cold metal door and soon a small camera appeared in front of him. It scanned the old man's eyeball to identify the intruder. No sooner, the door opened, revealing the blond man with confused grin on his face.

"Commander Yamamoto! Your visit is really unexpected!" Steel, experienced eyes glared at the scientist. Doctor Urahara surely didn't know a thing about greeting authorities properly.

"Urahara Kisuke... I was informed about the progress of the project 'Substitute'. I was wondering-"

"Oh, you have! I can tell you now, Commander, this is something you can't just hear about. You must see it! The proj-"

"Don't interrupt me, you fool!" The older man growled at the scientist's impolite behavior. _I'm really getting old... , _he thought. "My point is that no one cared to inform me or Seretei about your latest achievement."

"Well, we were really occupied with tests. We didn't want to hassle you without a good reason."

"You didn't want to hassle me..." The old man leaned his stick on the wall and moved forward, not caring that the blond scientist tried to stop him. "I've made a huge contribution to this project and yet you show me disrespect! Should I remind you that're supposed to give me a report on every progress?"

"B-But... You're not supposed to be here, Commander. This area is restric-"

"Don't talk down on me, you insolent kid!" Urahara gawked. It was better not to say anything. He knew The Head Commander was very famous for his temper issues. He escorted the old man, showing him the right way to the Training room, where the 'creation' was currently in. "It's been almost 20 years. I think I made it clear that I'm not going to die until the project was successful. Do you have any idea what I had to go through? Mutations! I allowed you, mad scientists, to mutate my genes so I can live longer. I'm no longer as pure as I want to be, but I can't leave the city without supervision!" Urahara turned Yamamoto left. Both men entered a dark corridor with lots of boards and warning signs. "About the Subject... uhm... which subject is it?"

"Number 15, sir."

"Right. About the Subject-"

"Ichigo."

"What?" The Commander tried to keep his composure calm. The strange name confused him.

"Ichigo. This is the code-name for the Subject #15. You're about to see him, so I need to warn you. While being in the same room, don't cross the red line, do not touch him, and don't talk to him."

"Why is that?"

"As far as the biological and physical sphere stabilized, we couldn't concentrate on his psychological sphere. We need to do other measurements, like social adaptation, self-conscience-"

"So, in other words, he doesn't know how to interact or be human?" Urahara frowned at the harsh statement of the old man.

"If you put it that way... Because of the laboratory conditions Ichigo wasn't even able to interact with people. The first attempt of introducing him to another human being was... strange."

"What do you mean?"

"He stared at the person for about 5 minutes and then ignored him completely. We assumed that the lack of family, which is the first group of people every person meets right after the birth, caused the isolation."

"Does he even know about the meaning of 'family'?"

"Theoretically, yes." The scientists and the commander reached the door. Kisuke opened a panel and wrote a special code. After that, blue and red light flashed frequently. "After teaching him how to sit, walk, talk, and read, we were sending him lots of books from different fields – math, biology, geography, etc. The speed of his maturation was truly fascinating – he now has a knowledge of 276 books! However, he lacks a normal practice with people and things."

"I expect you to solve this social-behavior problem as fast as you can." The commander made a last comment before the door in front of him opened, revealing medium-size, white room. It was furnished with one bed, one desk, one chair and an enormous bookshelf. On the chair, he spotted a teenage boy with very short, orange hair, who seemed to be occupied with something. Yamamoto could only see the boy's back. He took a moment to see the humanoid and was pleased – at first sight, there was no way someone could think the boy wasn't human at all. Both Yamamoto and Urahara stepped forward and approached the red line, which was just centimeters away from the orange head. The humanoid was dressed in white shirt and pants. He was also wearing a strange white collar that was sometimes giving a small beep sound. Now that he was so close, the commander finally saw what was the centre of the subject's interest. It was a book.

"Ichigo." The humanoid straightened up. "It's me, Doctor Urahara. You recognize my voice." The boy wasn't moving, making the old man a little nervous. "Turn around and let me look at you." Ichigo left the book on the floor and stood up. He finally faced two men. Yamamoto gasped at sight. He knew the face the humanoid had.

"I see, you used **his** sample... But there's something strange about his hair and eyes." he said. Urahara nodded, looking at vibrant orange color of short hair and strong brown eyes.

"There might have been a minor DNA over-writing, causing a change in melanin concentration. But we've checked everything and it doesn't affect Ichigo at all."

"Good." The old man brought out his hand and looked at the boy. Urahara's eyes widened. "I'm the Head Commander of Soul Society, Yamamoto Genryuusai. I'm honored to meet you, Subject #15 aka Ichigo." The humanoid stared at commander's had before looking at his own. He seemed to look inside of his memory and find something related to handshakes.

"Commander, I don't think-"

"Shut up, Urahara. If you want him to socialize, you need to do it properly." The doctor was about to disagree, when something strange happened. The humanoid slowly pulled out his own hand and gently grabbed Yamamoto's. Not only that, but he also tried to make a sentence.

"Nice... to meet..." Ichigo spoke softly, his voice very hoarse. The scientist was astonished by how the humanoid reacted.

"You see, Urahara. The only way to make that boy understand society is to place him among people. I guess you, scientists, can't really explain the meaning of 'humanity'?" The commander smirked and let go of Ichigo's hand. "For my next order – I want you to program the Subj- I mean, Ichigo, to be obedient to my commands."

"T-This may take a while..."

"I don't think so. You actually taught him to react to your voice, right? I'm sure you won't have problems. Now, I have to see Doctor Aizen Souske, immediately." The old man turned on his heel and walked away from both scientist and the humanoid. Urahara sighed and looked at Ichigo. The boy's face didn't show any emotions. Big, brown eyes observed the scientist carefully. The blond man came closer and checked the white collar, which seemed to beep more frequently than before. _The touch of another person must have quickened his pulse. I need to read the data from this meeting... _The man reached and put his hand on orange locks, carefully caressing them. He smiled at himself, observing the reaction from the humanoid. The face moved a little, changing serene expression into slight surprise.

"We've got a lot things to do, Ichigo. Get some rest." The scientists withdrew his hand and headed towards the exit. The orange head stared at closing door for a moment before reaching for the abandoned book. The blond scientist locked the door with a special code and went down the corridor. Thought about programming... Or rather 'teaching' Ichigo to answer to commanders demands. He couldn't think of why the Head Commander wanted Ichigo to be his... minion.

"Kisuke!" A loud yell could be heard from the distance. The scientist looked at the source of calling. It was tall, tanned, well-built man with black hair and a moustache. Small eyes looked through glasses. The man in front of hm was Urahara's faithful assistant, Tsukabishi Tessai. "Kisuke!"

"What is it, Tessai? What's the rush?"

"Last orders from Dotor Aizen." The tanned man handed over papers. The blond man groaned. He hated paperwork. "Please, Kisuke! You need to read it!"

"Alright, alright. Geez..." The blonde scientist started reading. As his eyes moved rapidly, the expression changed from irritated to horrified. "What in the..."

_'Doctor Urahara Kisuke,_

_I have just receive a request from the Head Commander Yamamoto Genryuusai. The next step of the Substitute project is to check all extreme conditions our Subject #15 is able to resist. I order you to prepare a test chamber in sector D 40, where the Subject will withstand the weapon conditions. You have 14 days to prepare the current report about the Subject's physical state. I have attached o folder of body requirements. Make sure these requirements are fulfilled. Also, here you have the official permission of the Head Commander._

_Doctor Aizen Souske'_

"I don't believe this..." Urahara grabbed his forehead in agitation. "How can they do this? Ichigo wasn't created to be a solider."

"What are you going to do?" Tessai spoke, concerned about the order. He knew Urahara had put a lot of effort into this project and he treated the Subject #15 with care. The blond took a few deep breaths and calmed himself down. His features showed defeat.

"I can't really say 'no' to the Commander's orders. We need to create a substance that will build up his physique and do something about bone structure... They're transferring him to Mayuri's section. This boy is going to see hell there..."

"What about trauma?"

"I guess we need to shut down the pain centre." Urahara moved to the Research Lab. Tessai loyally followed him. "All I wanted is to create a perfect human being, not a weapon. If the DNA mutates after those changes, people exposed to that will be in grave danger..." They reached the laboratory. There were only two people inside – a small girl with black pigtails and a young boy with red hair. "Ururu, Jinta, how's Ichigo doing?"

"He has just finished a book." The boy yawned, lying his bed on the console. His face showed pure boredom. "An now he's doing the same thing as ever..." Urahara frowned and looked at the monitor. Everytime the humanoid stopped reading, he would wander around the room and touch walls, as if he was searching for something. This time he stood in front of door, trying somehow to 'dig' his way out the room.

"What is he doing?" Urahara asked, not liking the way brown eyes showed so much determination.

"W-We're not sure, but all his vital statistic rose. Heart rate – 130. Temperature – 37.5*C. Breathing rate – 25." The girl spoke timidly. Urahara scowled and walked away from the monitors. _'You sense something bad is coming, right?' _Bringing everybody's attention, Urahara began giving orders from Doctor Aizen. They needed to prepare the substance enhancing body structure. He knew that if they didn't do well, Ichigo would not survive the oncoming tests.

* * *

A week later, Ichigo had undergone a series of injections. The substance wasn't well-received and so the humanoid was most of the time feverish. The Urahara's group waited patiently for a small change in boy's state, but they couldn't see any improvement. The orange head had convulsions and fidgeted restlessly in his bed. Before they could shut down the pain centre inside of his brain, they first needed to improve his body structure. And so, Ichigo was in terrible pain. The substance from injections tore his veins. He felt as if it was trying to electrocute him from the inside. Nevertheless, scientists weren't stopping and Ichigo had absolutely no idea how to resist these people.

8th day. Urahara and Ururu visited Ichigo's room. The girl scientist held a big syringe. The humanoid looked at the tool in pure fear.

"N-N-No..." The orange boy shifted in his bed, trying to move away from the girl. He was still in pain from the last dosage. Urahara looked in worry at the reaction. It seemed Ichigo was able to define 'something harmful' and run away from the source of pain. This basic instinct of human nature reflected in the humanoid's behavior only proved how perfect the Subject was. However, the scientist hardened his look and held Ichigo's shoulders, pining him down to his bed. The boy squeaked and closed his eyes. He couldn't fight back. Ururu took it as a signal to continue. She pierced the skin and slowly injected the enhancing substance. At instant, a loud scream filled the room. The collar beeped furiously, informing two scientists that Ichigo's state was getting worse.

"U-Urahara sir. Can't we give him s-something that would lower the pain?" The girl asked quietly, frightened by the humanoid's painful howling.

"If we let the enhancing substance and analgesia mix together, it may cause horrible effects on him, Ururu." The girl's face saddened even more as she was pulling the needle out and stuck a patch. Both scientists left the crying boy alone and came back to the Research Laboratory. The girl was washing all tools, when she suddenly felt a punch on her head.

"Owie! Jinta!" She turned around to find the red-head frowning at her. "What was that for?"

"Ururu, you're completely unprofessional! What were you thinking, asking Urahara about the analgesia?"

"B-But... He seems to need it..."

"Idiot!" The boy punched the girl again and, full of irritation, walked away. "You need to remember it's not a human being! So stop treating it as if it was one." Ururu blinked at Ichigo's depersonalization in Jinta's eyes.

"W-Why are you so ruthless about Ichigo?"

"The cruel one here is not me, Ururu." The boy's annoyed features changed into serious. "You and Urahara treat him like a human most of the times, but when it comes to situations like this, you just MUST treat him like an object... It's far worse from my insensibility from the very beginning." Ururu wiped away tears and thought for a moment. Jinta had a point there. She and Doctor Urahara tried to form a connection between them and Ichigo afte the Commanders order, thinking it would be more bearable fot the humanoid. She looked at the monitor and saw Ichigo falling on the floor, wiggling in pain.

* * *

12th day. Ichigo was lying lifelessly on the floor. His gaze didn't leave the closed-door. All these people were coming in and leaving. Why wasn't he able to do that? Two days ago these awful injections had finally stopped. But at the same time, the humanoid couldn't find a strength to stand up and move.

"Ichigo, can you hear me?" A familiar voice spoke from the speakers. The orange head didn't move an inch. "It's nighttime, Ichigo. I'm going to switch off the light. You'd better go to your bed." It was Urahara. The humanoid couldn't understand why Urahara was causing all this pain. In the end he had associated Urahara's image with torture. The lights switched off. Deciding to move, the orange head carefully stood up and sat on his bed. He stared at bookshelf. There wasn't anything to read – he almost memorized everything that he had. But books' contents weren't understandable. He wasn't able to reflect on novels and poems. He couldn't imagine the machinery from weapon-design books. He wasn't able to understand all theories about human nature from psychology books. Those were only words. Sequences of words trying to build sentences with meaning. What was 'life'? Who were 'people'? Were all people the same, like Urahara and Ururu? Did they constantly cause pain too? Ichigo could feel his head hurt at the number of questions. If he was only able to do so, he would try to find answers. He would ask. But he didn't want to. For some reason, he had a feeling Urahara wouldn't give him a proper answer anyway. The humanoid stood up from his bed and walked to the door. He carressed the metal surface and scratched it with his nails. He did the same on a different spot. Ichigo frowned and pushed the door. For some reason he had this deep urge to get out of this sickening white room. He sensed something outside. Something, that belonged to him... Ichigo backed away and tried to push the door with bigger force. He needed to find that thing. Without it, the humanoid was incomplete. After 3 failed attempts to push the door, Ichigo just leaned on it and breathed heavily. He couldn't understand this urge. Also, there was a strange feeling inside of him. The feeling was so foreign, he didn't know how to react.

_Click!_

A strange noise appeared from the outside. Ichigo leaned his ear and tried to listen. There were some sounds of breaking machines, tearing wires and pushing buttons. Before he could move, the humanoid fell down as the door in front of him opened. Ichigo looked up to see a dark figure. He couldn't see the face because of the hood. The silhouette was small with some feminine features. Days of training forced Ichigo to walk away from the stranger and stay behind the red line. The person looked behind to see if the corridor was clear.

"Shit, I hope Renji is controlling the security system..." A feminine voice spoke in a hurry. The person pulled out a flashlight from the pocket and pointed the light right at Ichigo's face. His eyes weren't used to so intense light, so he closed them immediately. "My God... This is impossible..." The light started to cause pain in Ichigo's eyes so he tried to retreat until his back met the wall. The figure pulled down the hood, revealing a small face of a woman. Her purple eyes flashed with disbelief at the sight right in front of her. She seemed to recognize Ichigo's face. Ichigo observed the girl as she tied her black hair in a ponytail. "You..." She approached the humanoid carefully, holding pliers. "Don't move..." Ichigo was paralyzed. The girl reached for his collar and, with a help of the tool, she removed it. The orange head screamed in pain. The collar had a thick needle stuck in the back of Ichigo's head. Disguts washed over the girl. "What kind of sick people do these things? There." She pulled out a small bag with blue gel inside. It was pleasantly cold when it touched Ichigo's skin.

**"WARNING! WARNING! THE SUBJECT NUMBER 15 IN DANGER! WARNING! WARNING! BEGINNING THE SECURITY PROCESS, CODE RED AND YELLOW. CODE RED AND YELLOW."**

"I see this was a matter of time..." The girl said. Suddenly the white room changed its color into red and yellow. Piercing alarm went off throughout the sector. Ichigo clutched his ears tightly, screaming at the volume of noise. The changing lights, killing sounds and the girl trying to move him were too much for the humanoid. All he wanted was to run away from that place. Ichigo stood up and ran as fast as he could through the door. "NO! WAIT!" The girl's calls were deafened by the alarm and Ichigo didn't even bother to look back. His eyes moved from one spot to another, trying to identify the place. A panic and adrenaline rushed inside of him. He had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do.

"Hurry up! This way!" Ichigo noticed a group of shadows on the way and decided to run the other direction. The mix of sounds and images made him nauseous for the first time. While running, he noticed a small tube in the wall. Without thinking, he jumped into that tube.

"WAIT, ICHIGO! DON'T DO THAT!" The orange head heard a faint voice he recognized immediately. It was his carer, Urahara. All sensations of pain came with full force. Ichigo panicked even more. He went further down the tube. It was really dark. "ICHIGO!" He knew the doctor was following him. "ICHIGO!" All of a sudden, the orange head lost the ground under him and fell down. Fortunately, he was able to grab onto something and hold for a moment. He looked down. Under his feet he could see enormous space, covered in brownish smoke. The sight made the humanoid dizzy. "ICHIGO! HOLD ON, ICHIGO!" The boy looked up and saw the blond scientist leaning and extending his arm. "TAKE MY HAND!"Ichigo shifted carefully, extending his own hand. Intense feeling was controlling his senses. For the first time he could understand one of these books about human nature. This feeling – it was pure fear. Ichigo wasn't even close to the scientist's hand, as the other one got weak. He couldn't do anything. The hand released the edge and the humanoid fell. The blond man screamed in terror, watching, as his creation was about to fall 20 kilometers down.

* * *

**Ag-ro-tag's note!**

**Second chapter!**  
**I need to use my inspiration as much as I can, because I don't know when will be the next time!**

**I don't have time to write much now, so see you later!**


	3. Wonder of family

**READ & REVIEW, but mostly ENJOY ;)**  
**I can't believe I manage to write almost one chapter a day! This is the biggest productiveness I have ever had!**

**A/N below! ;)**

* * *

-WONDER OF FAMILY-

"Kaaaaarin! Kaaarin!"

The Earth. The place of human birth. Once full of greenery, colours, beautiful sights. Now – a global junkyard with water as red as rust, without traces of green environment. People who were forced to live in this forsaken place weren't able to live normally on the surface of the Earth. Nations hid themselves under ground, building complex tunnels and gigantic halls, covered in radiation-resistant walls. The halls became big enough to be called districts. Most of districts survived thanks to food and provisions from group called 'Vizards', originally founded by 'Hueco Mundo'. However, there were a few districts that didn't want to be dependant on the organization. People connected and formed districts of resistance. The most famous one was Rukongai district, which was divided into 50 different areas. The area 49 was the closest to the Senkaimon – the entrance connecting the Earth to Soul Society. It was guarded by Shinigami – special security squad, responsible for peace and safety among people. Because the level of air pollution was too high, every guard had to wear a special orange uniform with a green gas mask attached. It was Shinigami's duty to protect the entrance to the city in the sky and catch anybody wandering around deserted streets. However, rebels sometimes started fights, killing many guards and stealing their uniforms and supplies. Thanks to that, they were able to walk through piles of junk, searching for any valuable or useful materials.

"Kaaarin!" At that moment, two small people, wearing too big uniforms, were digging through tons of papers, scraps and decaying food. One of them waved at the other. "Karin!"

"Yuzu, will you be quiet!" The other person, named Karin, hushed her companion. "Do you want to bring Shinigami here? We will be in big trouble if they catch us!"

"But Karin, it was your idea to come to the surface!" The other groaned with her soft, girlish voice.

"That's because you wouldn't stop complaining about lack of pots!" Karin huffed and returned to the search. "Besides, I'm sure Old Man is going to kill us after we come back..."

"Oh, Karin, don't think bad about Dad." Yuzu whined. "Besides, I was calling you, because I have found this!" The girl showed a golden necklace with a purple gem in shape of a flower. It was very dirty, yet Karin's eyes sparkled through the green glass of mask. The sight caught her speechless. "I'm sure if we sell it, we will get a lot of money!"

"Yuzu, this is amazing!" The other girl jumped, her movements clumsy because of the uniform. She reached for her backpack and opened it. "Here, put it inside." The other girl nodded and did as she was told. "Alright, let's look more."

"Ah, Karin, wait up!" Yuzu tried to keep up with her companion as the other beamed with excitement. The search was quite fruitful – they had found three big pots, two frying pans and one crystal bowl (which had a big crack, but Karin still could see it as a good material to sell). "Karin, I think it's time to go. Dad will be worried."

"Just give me a second!" Karin called back as she tried to reach something that looked like a porcelain vase. Yuzu sighed and looked up. The sky was slowly darkening and soon only the foundations of Soul Society gave light to the Rukongai district. As she was watching reflectors switch on, she noticed something strange. A small spot was slowly getting bigger, falling straight at them. "Uhm, Karin..."

"A-ha! I got it!" The other girl dusted off her new finding and looked carefully. "There are some strange creatures painted on this one. I wonder if someone can tell us something abou-"

"Karin! Look!" Yuzu interrupted and forced Karin to look at the dark spot. Reflectors blurred the shape of the object, so none of girls could tell what it was. However, the thing became bigger and was getting closer. "What is it?"

"I don't know." Karin growled and grabbed the other's hand. "Look out!" She jumped to the left, bringing Yuzu with herself. Both girls took a cover, before a thud could be heard behind them. The junkyard shook a little. Impact of the fall rose dust up. Both girls were waiting, when Karin decided to look around. The area seemed to be clear. "Alright, we can go now, Yuzu."

"W-What was that?"

"I can't see, the dust is too thick." Karin took a step forward and rubbed her mask to see better. Slowly, cloud of dust was clearing and both girls could see the shape of the object that had just fell down.

"M-M-My God... I-I-It's..." Yuzu tried to fight the urge to cry.

"It's a person." Karin ended the sentence, getting closer to the body. "It's wearing a white uniform."

"You mean he's a prisoner?"

"I don't know. Whoever he is, he must have pissed off authorities to the point they threw him away from Soul Society."

"B-But Soul Society has never thrown people like that!"

"That's true." Karin nodded. Criminals of Soul Society were mostly exiled to the Earth. The girl took a closer look. It was a teenage boy, with orange hair. His skin had multiple burns, his broken bones came out from his limbs and his head was bleeding. _Probably because of the fall... _Karin thought while reaching for the boy's pockets. "Eh, he's got nothing...". Karin inhaled deeply and reached for the boy's eyelids to close them. "Rest in peace." Both girls stood beside the body and clapped their hands. Yuzu was sobbing. Suddenly, when girls were praying for the boy's soul, something strange happened. The orange head was shaking uncontrollably and his eyes shot open. Yuzu screamed in fear and Karin stepped back. After seizures, the boy was suddenly choking. "W-What?" After a few chokes, series of coughing started. The boy was desperately gasping for some air. After few inhales, his body fell numbly.

"Karin, I'm scared!" Yuzu hid behind the other's back, observing an unusual sight. Karin took a deep breath and approached the teenager. She quickly put her hand on his chest and moved her glass mask closer to his mouth. She noticed faint fog creating and disappearing on the glass. Also, the chest was rapidly rising and falling. No sooner, the boy groaned quietly in pain.

"Yuzu, he's alive!" Karin shouted at the girl. She reached inside of her pocket. Every uniform had an emergency mask with an extra bottle of oxygen. Karin took out the mask and put it on the boy. She had to be careful with his wounded head.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Go and get Dad here! And call our neighbors! We need to treat him immediately!" Yuzu nodded at Karin's instructions and ran as fast as she could. Fortunately, the hatch to her district was close. While running and screaming for help, she wondered about how in the Heaven's name someone could survive such a fall from stratosphere...

* * *

_"Yuzu, can you bring me wet towels for him? He's got a fever, again."_

_"Alright, Dad."_

_"Old Man, when is he going to wake up? It's been five days."_

_"I can't tell you, Karin. After all, it was a serious accident. A normal person would die even before reaching the ground."_

_"You think he's a mutant?"_

_"Possibly. His wounds healed super-fast, there are only some scars from his burns, but he should be okay."_

_"Here are towels, Dad."_

_"Thank you, Yuzu. Fever indicates that his body is still fighting, so it's a good sign. You don't need to look so worried, my sweet daughter!"_

_"B-But he must be in pain."_

_"C'mon, Yuzu. You won't heal him with your tears. You don't even know that guy!"_

_"Karin, that's so mean!"_

The orange head groaned. He could hear faint noises being really close to him and yet they seemed so distant. He could feel jolts of pain running through his feverish body. Slowly, he opened his eyes to look at sources of voices. His vision met a bright light and three strange shapes, hovering above him. The figures were very blurry and they moved a lot.

"Dad, look! He's waking up!" Shapes were sharpening little by little. A face of a girl with kind features and short, light-brown hair smiled at the boy. She was sitting next to another girl, who seemed to be a tomboy with black hair done in a ponytail. On the other side, a mature man in his 40-ties, with black hair and a goatee, smiled widely at the orange head.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, my son!" The old man greeted cheerfully. "Man, I've seen many things in my life, but surely they are nothing compared to your regeneration skills!" Brown eyes blinked faintly as both black-haired girl and man grabbed the boy on both sides. In front of him, the kind girl held something.

"Here, you have to drink some water." She opened his mouth and poured down liquid. The boy's eyes widened in shock. He had never sensed something like that before, nor did he knew how to swallow properly. He started to choke. The girl squeaked in panic, but the older man hit teenager's back a few times until choking stopped. "I-I'm sorry! I must have poured it too fast!"

"It's okay, Yuzu. He's just weak." The man smiled and patted light-brown head. Both he and the tomboyish girl put the teenager in a half-sitting position. "You're really lucky that my girls found you and brought you here. The air outside is so toxic that after a while even you wouldn't be able to survive." The boy averted his eyes. He seemed to be uncomfortable. "My name is Kurosaki Isshin. And these are my beautiful twin daughters – Yuzu." The light-brown girl waved, smiling shyly. "And Karin." The tomboy said 'Hi'. "Can you tell us your name?" The orange head stared at three people, unsure how to react. Isshin kept smiling. He knew the boy might be still in fatigue, but he didn't know how he was supposed to name him. All he could find around and on the boy was a little badge with a number '15'. "If you can't, it's alright. Soon, you'll find a strength to do so!"

"I...Ich..." The orange head moved his lips, whispering incoherent sounds. Karin frowned and put her ear near his mouth. It seemed that breathing out a word was causing great difficulties. After a while, Karin could finally manage to identify the word.

"He said 'Ichigo'."

"Is Ichigo your name? You don't have to speak, just nod." Isshin encouraged and so the boy nodded. "Well, Ichigo, I'm happy to welcome you into our family! Most of your bones broke and you have a concussion , so you'll stay with us." The goatee man grinned and moved to a medium-sized poster with a bright-looking woman. "Masaki! My dream finally came true! I have a son! I have a-URGH!"

"Stop freaking adopting every person you accidentally meet, Goat Face!" Karin kicked her father right into his stomach and the older male cried, yet laughed at his daughter's temper. Ichigo was watching the scene silently, in awe. This was the first time he saw two people having diffrent interactions. It surely was a violent one, but there was something warm about the way they argued.

"Karin, Dad, stop fighting! You're scaring Ichigo!" Yuzu spoke beside the boy and sighed at childish behavior of her relatives. She sheepishly smiled at confused orange-head. "Forgive them, they act like that normally. Oh, if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask, we all will be happy to help!" Ichigo stared at the girl and nodded, averting his gaze and looking at the ceiling. He couldn't concentrate on his thoughts because of the pain. On the other hand, the atmosphere in the room was surely odd, a complete opposite of what he experienced in the former white room. He somehow felt... secure...

* * *

Three days later, Ichigo somehow adapted to the new environment. The Kurosaki Family lived in a really small flat without windows. They had only one, big room that was at the same time the living room/the kitchen/the dining room/the bedroom. Only the bathroom had its own room. Ichigo noticed corner full of ragged dolls, some broken toys and flap balls. There was also a glass cabinet with strange substances and boxes, also some scissors and bandages. The boy shuddered at the view – the cabinet was too similar to the trolley Ururu had when she gave him the enhancing shots.

"Is something wrong, Ichigo?" Yuzu approached the orange head, putting a small plate with ice chips on his bed.

"N-No." The teenager changed his interest from cabinet to contents of the plate. He gave a questioning look.

"These are ice chips. Dad uses them to check swallow reflex of his patients."

"Patients?"

"Yeah. My father is a doctor." Yuzu exclaimed cheerfully, not noticing how Ichigo tensed at the word 'doctor'. "Alright, now, you have to open your mouth and put this chip on your tongue, like this." Yuzu put a chip on hers. "Shee? Heet mheltsh!" Ichigo furrowed in confusion. He observed patiently as the chip changed into a small drop of water and then the girl made a strange motion with her throat. "This is how you should practice your swallowing!" Ichigo's scowling expression hadn't changed a bit, looking at ice chips with suspicion. "Don't worry. I assure you won't choke if you don't swallow it." Ichigo carefully opened his mouth and let Yuzu put a small chip. It was cold only for a second, before he felt a liquid sensation. However, he didn't swallow, but it only made him cough a little. "You almost did it!" Yuzu cheered, happy that Ichigo seemed to be determined. "You just need a little practice!" And so, she was giving him ice chips. On the other side of the room, Karin was washing Ichigo's white clothes and Isshin was working on some medicine. The girl sometimes turned around to see that Yuzu was rather happy with the strange boy's company.

"Dad." Karin spoke quietly, so that her sister wouldn't hear.

"What is it, oh-so-charming daughter of mine?"

"Stop calling me that, Stupid Old Man." Karin growled, hardly stomping on her father's foot, receiving a painful look of man's face. "Listen, are you sure we should let him stay here?"

"What do you mean? The boy needed help."

"Yeah, I know, but..." Karin looked back to see Ichigo coughing a lot. "He is weird... He doesn't talk and he only stares either at us or at our door. I woke up yesterday during our sleep time and saw him fidgeting in his casts. His eyes were so... distant." Karin concentrated more on washing white shirt. "Besides, they threw him away from Soul Society, right? That place always sends us criminals. What if he's one of them?"

"I don't think he's going to harm us, Karin." Isshin stated, putting away his new medicine and reaching for a sheet of paper. "Besides, it's not like you can't defend yourself and Yuzu, right?"

"That's not the point!"

"I know, I know." Isshin laughed quietly and looked back at the boy. Yuzu was happy, because Ichigo finally swallowed his first ice chip. The orange head also seemed to be pleased with his achievement. "Besides, prisoners are always wearing long, grey with red stripes robes and they have a tattoo of a red collar. Ichigo, on the other hand, had a set of white shirt and trousers and a number." He faced this time his tomboyish daughter. "I think he was experimented on."

"Experimented?" Karin rose a brow. "That would explain his ability to heal fast."

"And why he survived from falling 20km..." Isshin ended and stood up. This time, he spoke up. "Alright, Yuzu and Karin, can you please go and play outside?" Karin huffed in annoyance and hang Ichigo's clothes near a heater. Yuzu whined about leaving Ichigo's practice, but Isshin's brown eyes didn't move a milimeter. Both girls put on her shoes, Karin grabbed a ball and they disappeared. Ichigo's eyes followed girls as they disappeared behind the door. "Oh, my girls, they surely are my most precious thing in the whole world!" Isshin cheered and sat on the edge of Ichigo's bed. "How are you feeling, Ichigo?"

"Good." Ichigo answered after a moment. The pain was still irritating, but was more bearable than three days ago.

"I'm glad to hear that." The old man smiled brightly. They were sitting in silence for a minute or two, when Isshin's face became serious. "Ichigo." The orange head tensed at attention. "I want to know where you are from, what happened to you and how you got here." The boy gave a puzzled look. There were too many questions spoken at the same time and he wasn't sure about the answers himself. Isshin frowned at lack of answers and decided to be more thorough. "You're from Soul Society, right?" Ichigo nodded insecurely. "Where did you live?"

"In white room..." Ichigo spoke. The answer confused the doctor. '_Maybe the concussion caused an amnesia...' _Isshin tried to explain to himself. _'But that's unlikely, he seems to be aware of everything just fine...'_

"Was there anybody else with you in that room?" Ichigo thought the question over and shook his head.

"Not really. Urahara visited me. And Ururu." The boy spoke, revealing some nervousness in his voice. Isshin knew he had to dig a little deeper.

"Are they your parents?" Ichigo had a puzzled look. "Do you have a family, Ichigo?" The question brought even more confusion. "Do you know what 'a family' means?" Just when he said that, Ichigo's expression changed into emotionless.

"A family is a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children." Isshin didn't like the way Ichigo spoke about the family. It was cold, like a machine.

"Good." He tried to smile and continued his interrogation. "So... Are Urahara and Ururu your parents?" Ichigo lost his expressionless features and came back to the confused state.

"I don't know..." He answered. Ichigo surprised the old man. _'Maybe they were just taking care of him... Or doing something to him...'_

"What do you remember before falling down?" The man tried different approach and the boy's response was more satisfying. Using simple and short sentences, Ichigo told him about various tests, series of shots, and a strange girl opening the door. Later, everything around him was blinding and deafening him, so he ran away and fell down a strange tube. _'So he is a victim of experiments... Enhancement injections, what are those? I'd better meet the Council and warn them.' _Isshin thought everything over and noticed how Ichigo was staring questioningly at him. Inside of him, he felt a great pity for the boy. He seemed so young, and yet the scientists gave him a hell of a time. The man put a hand on orange locks and hugged the boy, causing the other to jump in surprise. "Don't be afraid, son. Everything is going to be fine." He looked into brown eyes and grinned. Ichigo was more and more curious why all family members were smiling. "I'm going to take care of you. Nobody's going to harm you, I promise you that." Ichigo felt his heartbeat picking up the tempo. Warmth spreaded across his chest as he repeated Isshins words inside of his head. This feeling was really strange, yet surprisingly pleasant.

"Dad!" Isshin and Ichigo looked at door and saw twins rushing inside of the house and running to their father. "Dad! Toshiro gave Karin a present! Look!" Yuzu handed over a small, porcelain figurine of a creature with a strange shape – small, blue head with small antennas; pointy mouth, long neck, deformed hands and an enormous, colorful tail. "Isn't it cute?"

"Yuzu, you're not supposed to show it to him!" The tomboy growled angrily, trying to suppress a blush on her cheeks.

"But I want to know what is it! And you want too, but you're too stubborn to ask." Yuzu ignored sister's complaints and turned to her father. "So? What is it, Dad? What is it?"

"This is a nice figurine, girls." Isshin smiled, but scratched his head nervously. "But I'm sorry, I don't really know. Someone must have just created it out of his imagination." Yuzu made a sound of disappointment. Karin also wasn't pleased with the answer.

"It's a peacock." The Kurosaki family jumped when they heard Ichigo speak.

"A peacock?" Yuzu repeated as her eyes shone brightly. Finally, she found someone who could give a proper answer to questions about creatures from pictures, plates or paintings. "What's a peacock?" Ichigo again tuned on his emotionless face and started reciting.

"A peacock is a male representative of bird species called 'Peafowl'. The figurine shows you the Indian type. The male Indian Peafowl has iridescent blue-green or green colored plumage. The peacock tail is not the tail quill feathers-"

"Wait, wait, hold on!" Isshin stopped Ichigo's train of words and rubbed his temples. "You mean something like that actually exists?"

"What is a bird?" Karin gave a confused look.

"I... didn't understand what you said, Ichigo. I'm sorry..." Yuzu blushed in embarrassment and looked at the figurine. Ichigo didn't know what he had done wrong. Everything he said was in the Zoology book and he made sure he quoted sentences exactly. The atmosphere tensed.

"I'm sorry." The orange head felt he was the cause of bringing everybody's mood down and dropped his look down.

"No, don't be sorry!" Isshin smiled at the boy. "It's just that... we have never heard such a sophisticated language before and we don't know anything about creatures called birds or peafowl peacocks or whatever." Ichigo made a quiet 'Oh...' sound. To him, everything written in books was obvious.

"Do you think you can make it easier for us to understand, Ichigo?" The light-brown girl picked up her cheerful mood and gave the sweetest look she could. "Pretty please?"

"And start with your explanations from the very beginning. A bird is a good start."

"I'll prepare some tea!" Yuzu clapped her hands and reached for a kettle.

"I'm interested as well." The old man smiled and reached for an extra chair for him. Yuzu gave everybody a cup of tea and sat on the edge of Ichigo's bed, right next to her sister. Ichigo thought deeply, fighting the urge to quote every line from all the books. It felt as if an invisible barrier was inside of him and didn't let him think in a creative way.

"From the very beginning..." He closed his eyes and went even further back in his memory. "You need to know what an animal is." He looked at everyone's faces. Nobody of the Kurosaki family had a clue about 'an animal'. "You see... In the history of humankind, hundreds of years ago, the Earth didn't look like today. There weren't only people and steel..." Ichigo's words were different. His voice was different. The barrier of machine-like behavior broke and the boy mixed his memory with creativity of speech. Isshin was impressed and, this time, enjoyed long explanation. Girls were captivated as well, asking questions and imagining the Earth before. Ichigo continued till everybody finally decided to go to sleep...

* * *

**Ag-ro-tag's NOTE!**

**Hello, everyone! :D I'm bringing you another chapter of 'Light in Catastrophy'. Actually, I've been thinking if I really want to make any romantic appearances, because... I don't know, the story seems to be more ambitious than that, but I'm still not sure... Give me some time to figure it out, ok? ;)  
**

**I didn't write anything the last time, because I was really sleepy (It was somewhere around 2 a.m.). So, now I would like to explain some things, because after re-reading it for the 3rd time some of you may want to recall some things.**

**The second chapter... I wanted to show you the connection between Urahara and Ichigo, and compare it to everybody else's expectations for humanoid. Urahara actually wasn't THAT cruel, he had to fulfill the orders from above. Still, he really cares about Ichigo and sees other future than Aizen and Yamamoto.**

**The third chapter... I concentrated on Ichigo this time. I need to start building his character and it's really fun! You see, because he was created, he's like a blank sheet op paper, ready to be either written or crumpled, torn or colored! And also his swallow effect - Urahara wanted to create a perfect human that wouldn't have to eat or drink, so basically Ichigo never needed to drink water of eat food (and thus his swallow reflex disappeared!). I study Nursing and I know that in some countries patients that weren't fed orally (after operations and such) have to regain ther swallow reflex by eating ice chips, since it's harmless ;) And another question might pop up - he's a human-robot-something, isn't water going to hurt him? Actually, no. He also has the digestive system and the metabolism process works fine ;) But at the same time, his genes are so strong that he won't be able to starve.**

**Ok, I may have written a lot this time ;) Hope you enjoyed it! I know I did, because I found this chapter really cute with family moments :D  
DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	4. Flash of confusion

**READ AND REVIEW, but mostly ENJOY ;)**

**A/N BELOW!**

* * *

-FLASH OF CONFUSION-

******"WARNING! WARNING! THE SUBJECT NUMBER 15 IN DANGER! WARNING! WARNING! BEGINNING THE SECURITY PROCESS, CODE RED AND YELLOW. CODE RED AND YELLOW."**

"What?!" Mayuri stopped his blissful slumber and looked at the monitor. Code red and yellow meant there was a higher volume of sound used in the room of the Subject #15. "Nemu! NEMU!" The black and white scientist was furiously pressing buttons and writing down safety codes. No sooner, the purple-haired assistant stood beside him. "Call that bloody Urahara Kisuke! What's happening!?" The girl nodded and reached for her wrist. A silver-purple watch was glowing until a small screen in a shape of a butterfly appeared in front of her.

"This is Sector D 40, Sector D 40, Kurotsuchi Nemu speaking. Vital Department, answer me."

"Miss Kurotsuchi, this is the Department. Tessai here."

"Mr. Tsukabishi, we want to get in touch with Doctor Urahara at this instant."

"I'm sorry, but now it's impossible. As the alarm went off, he just lunched out of the laboratory. He left his Hell Butterfly watch on the desk."

"That imbecile!" Mayuri shouted loudly, putting on a strange white hat and turning on his own watch. "Aizen, it's Mayuri. Wake up and pick up this damn thing!"

"I'm not sleeping. Someone else took your satisfaction of waking me up." The screen was glowing and the scientist recognized the voice of his co-worker.

"So you know?"

"Yes... This is surely unfortunate. But I'm not surprised." The black and white skinned man hummed in interest. "There was a leak. The resistance knows everything. And we do know our 'friends' well enough. The only thing that intrigues me is why they showed up so late?" Mayuri frowned and turned the Hell Butterfly off. In the meantime, a squad of Shinigami hurried over the Subject #15's room and pointed flashlights over the place. A man was lying on the floor, wearing the Shinigami black uniform and clutching his arm tightly.

"What happened!? Who did this to you!?" The group's leader shouted and helped the wounded man to stand up.

"There w-was...A g-g-girl... She was so fast, I couldn't do anything... The Subject Fifteen escaped."

"Shit... ALL OF YOU, SEARCH THROUGH THE CORRIDORS, FIND THE SUBJECT!" The leader shouted and everybody ran away. "And you, go to the health point, they'll patch you up. Can you go there on your own?"

"I-I think so..." The man spoke and walked slowly. The leader nodded and disappeared behind the door frame. The man's pained look suddenly changed into serious. "Renji, turn down all the cameras." The guardian spoke through the microphone.

"The coast is clear, Rukia." A respond came from the mini-radio and suddenly, instead of the wounded solider was standing a petite woman with purple eyes and black hair. A hood partly covered her pale face as she carefully left the room.

"You damn idiot. This wasn't supposed to look like that. I wasn't even able to take a sample of his blood..." The girl growled into her microphone as she froze. She noticed a blond-haired guy with a lab coat, yelling at Shinigami and calling someone's name. "How did they start the alarm?"

"They had a volume sensor. If the Subject's voice changed it's pitch, it would record it, compare with a sample of the Subject's scream and voilà – their precious creature is in danger."

"I don't care about the mechanism. You told me you shut down all security systems!" The girl moved forward and spotted a hatch to the air-tubes. "Damn you, Renji I trusted you!"

"I'm really sorry, Rukia! It must have been hidden somewhere even the Central Security didn't know where. Science-rats were more intelligent than that." Rukia sighed. She was watching her steps carefully – there were a few spots where tubes ended and were opened. If she tipped, she'd get an express ticket to the Earth. Without brakes.

"If I see you, I'll make a smashed pineapple salad out of your head..." Rukia tensed when she heard noises from the air tubes. Someone was desperately yelling. What was the name? Itagon?

"Yeah, I love you too. Listen, were you able to take a good look at that thing?"

"I did and you won't believeee... ..tha... lo..ssss..."

"Rukia? Rukia, are you there?"

"Of co...I'm-th-idio-! Wha-wr-...o...shshhhhh"

"Fuck, tubes are disturbing the signal..." In a small dark room covered with screens and computers, was sitting a man with long, red hair. Interesting things about him were his tattoos all over his body. Even his eyebrows were fully tatooed. Renji looked through all camera files, searching for the camera set of air tubes in Sector V 30. What caught his attention was one scene, where a shaggy-haired scientist leaned over the edge of the tube hole. He didn't like the scene and decided to volume up that camera.

"-s gone..." The scientist of the scene turned to a group of Shinigami with a blank face. "He's gone..." The man stood up and silently passed guardians, leaving Renji's sight.

"Fuck, we were close..." The leader of Shinigami put down his katana-shaped weapon and rubbed his forehead. The group seemed confused and defeated. "Hand a message to Doctor Aizen and Doctor Mayuri. The Subject #15 fell. Our squad couldn't do a single thing."

"So this is the over? The Subject is gone?" One of men asked and regretted as he received a glare from the leader.

"No, the Subject will miraculously survive the fall from 20 kilometers height and then go for a walk. IT'S FUCKING GONE, IT'S LOST, IT'S OVER! WHAT PART YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND?" The leader shouted angrily right into the guardians face. The members of squad dropped their gazes and walked away. Renji grabbed his head in resignation.

"Fuck..." He covered his head and leaned his elbows on the keyboard. The earlier dialogue gave him a major headache. "We fucking failed..." Renji rubbed his face a few times and looked through screens.

"Renji!" A girlish voice blasted from the speakers.

"Rukia!" The red-head browsed through the camera angles, looking for his companion.

"Renji, they spotted me!" The man paled at the information.

"Where are you? I'll be there!"

"No, I need to lose them on my own. The thing I told you before - be sure to say it to the Force." Renji rose his eyebrow. He didn't know what Rukia meant, but he couldn't recall the earlier conversation.

"But Rukia, the Subject is-"

"I'll find my way to Rukongai later. Go to the Force, now! I'm hanging up-KTCH!" His voice stopped abruptly. The information about Subject's loss didn't reach the petite girl. Renji growled in irritation and punched one of monitors hard enough to break it. _'We should have stayed at home... Why the fuck we agreed to this mission? Shit!' _Another sound of breaking glass. The man shut down his console and put on a white hoodie. He needed to leave Soul Society immediately.

In the end, he ddin't know the most vital information about the Subject 15.

* * *

Three weeks after the Subject #15 fall from the sky, The Kurosaki family prepared a dinner. People could eat different types of mushrooms or taste blocks – cubes with consistency of hard butter, but imitating tastes from meat to vegetables. At that time, people on the Earth didn't even knew that food was once coming from real vegetables, fruits, milk or animals. Some cookbooks survived and so food industries, while creating taste blocks, decided to make their products more appealing. Since that day, blocks came in different shapes, sizes and colors. Thanks to these differences, Yuzu was able to greate an art on a plate. She asked all the other three family members to help her. Three members? When Ichigo was finally able to use his hands, his stories about the earlier Earth were even more interesting. He was taking a sheet of paper and used colorful mashed taste blocks as paint to draw. Isshin couldn't stop smiling when his daughters were listening to the teenager. Their eyes were under a spell of stories and images. Later, the bearded man talked to Ichigo about becoming an official member of the family. The orange-haired boy received the last name, Kurosaki. Girls roared in joy, hugging their new brother. And so, the Kurosaki family was finally sitting on Ichigo's bed (his legs were still healing) with a colorful plate in one hand and a fork in the other.

"It's pork today! You know I like it so much, my talented sweet daughter~!" The old man squealed happily as he was eagerly eating a brown slice.

"Oh Dad, you're flattering me too much!" The girl blushed and looked at Ichigo, who was slowly bringing pieces of food to his mouth and chewing. "How do you like it, Brother?" Brown eyes were widening at the taste of the dish. He looked at the small girl and lightly smiled.

"It's really good, Yuzu." The boy spoke and took another piece of slice. Yuzu was happy with the praise. The black-haired girl looked at her brother and smiled to herself. The memoris of teaching Ichigo how to chew showed up in her head and she chuckled. But that wasn't the only progress Ichigo had made. He finally spoke up and tried to make a contact with girls on his own. Also, his face was no longer expressionless. Even a small smile showed up from time to time. Karin and Yuzu noticed how his brown eyes were shining when Isshin welcomed him to their family.

"Alright, my children, I need to tell you something." Isshin swallowed the last piece of vegetable block and put his plate down. "Tonight, there's going to be a meeting of the Council. I'm going there to give them a report. Also..." His brown eyes landed on the teenage boy. "Ichigo, they need to know about what happened to you. I'm going to say exactly what you told me, alright?" The boy nodded with worry. "It's going to be ok. You're a Kurosaki now and there's no way I'll let anybody hurt you. The Council will help you, of that I'm sure." Relaxing a little, Ichigo sighed. "Ok, it's time for me to go. Be good and don't break anything!" The old man stood up and left the house.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Goat Face..." The tomboy whined and huffed. "It's not like we're little kids..."

"Yeah! Besides, Brother is here, so there is a grown up with...us..." Yuzu stopped herself before taking Ichigo's plate away. "Come to think of it... Brother, how old are you?" Ichigo looked in surprise and started counting in his head.

"Exactly two months and three days." The orange head answered, making the brown-haired girl look stupefied, while the black-haired girl laughed hard.

"There's no way you are that young! If you were only two months old, then you'd be still a toddler!" Yuzu commented and glared at her sister's behavior. _'Maybe he doesn't remember how old he is... Poor Ichigo.' _she thought and scowled at Karin, who finally calmed herself down.

"You definitely don't look like a 2-month kiddie, Ichi." She wiped away left tears.

"So how old do I look?" Ichigo asked, curious of the answer. Karin mused a little.

"I'd say somewhere between 17 and 18 years. Here in Rukongai you'd be treated like an adult, but I know in Soul Society you need to be 21 for that." She answered, making Ichigo compare his appearance to the maturity graph of a normal teenager from medical books. He decided to agree on that. "Yuzu and I are both 11 years old, but here you have to mature pretty fast or else Shinigami are going to give you a bad time." Karin's face fell down. That wasn't satisfactory to Ichigo.

"Karin... Will you tell me about the Shinigami in Rukongai?"

* * *

"The Council of United Rukongai is now in session. The first issue to discuss is continuing shortage in supplies in parts 8, 30, 35 and 50 of Rukongai. Two months ago we-..." A group of 50 people decided to show up in Rukongai 25, the central point of whole district. The Council held meetings every month, where representatives of 50 parts gave full report about their problems. Isshin disliked those meetings and showed up only when it was necessary. Brown eyes spotted a man with long, white hair. Isshin decided to go and say 'Hi' to his old friend.

"Ukitake! It's so good to see you!" The called man turned around and smiled brightly. Familiar face of his good friend lightened the man up.

"Isshin!" Ukitake patted man's back. "Likewise, my friend. Did something important come up?"

"I'm afraid so... But why are you here? I thought Part 13 was the most wealthy, not problematic place in the district?"

"It's because of Shinigami." Isshin frowned at his friends words. "Lately, they've been entering districts and creating a great havoc among people. None of them cared to explain their sudden visit, but they seemed to search for something." Ukitake stopped talking for a moment to cough. He took a deep breath and continued. "Unohana also has sent me a few medical supplies. Remind me later to give you something." Isshin nodded, glad that Ukitake actually was friend with a doctor in Soul Society. "Tell me what happened in Part 49."

"Well, it's not something about the Part 49, because it's totally fine." The bearded man looked around to be sure nobody was listening to his conversation with Ukitake. "Three weeks ago, my daughters found a boy, who fell straight from Soul Society." The white, pale man widened his eyes.

"Poor boy. That must have been an unpleasant death..."

"Actually, this is the problem – he's NOT dead." Ukitake's mouth opened, but he couldn't say anything in shock. "Not only that, but now he's almost healthy. In a few days there won't be even a tiny trace that he ever had an accident."

"My, my, my, disturbin' news are ya spreadin', Kurosaki." Isshin shook as voice appeared from behind. Behind him was standing a young male with jaw-length, straight, blond hair, smiling widely in a Cheshire-cat way. The old doctor glared at the eavesdropper.

"Hirako Shinji... And why do we have a pleasure to see a Vizard here?"

"Hold yer horses, ol'Mand, I ain't here to fight or somethin'." The blond man held up his hands, showing his innocence. "Actually, Karakura district announced the rebelion five days ago. We're no longe' under Vizards' protective wings, man." Hie smile widened, sending shivers down Isshin's spine. "Moreover, I'm now a part of The Resistance Force, so I need to watch everything and hear everything. And ya, ol'Man, have valuable info."

"I don't want to meddle with your resistance-issues."

"But resistance-issues want to meddle with you." Shinji's eyes narrowed, changing his expression into serious. "Yer comin' with me." Isshin inhaled deeply and looked apologetic at his friend. Excusing himself, he followed the young man through out of crowd. Shinji took out a small key and opened steel door. The doctor was amazed how they showed up out of nowhere and entered a dark corridor. After few minutes of walking and Shinji's failed attempts to start a conversation, both men entered a small room. Isshin looked around. There were maps and documents scattered all over the place. A big pile of Shinigami's weapons were on the very back of the room. Isshin looked at four people, who were inside. He recognized blue hair and angry look of Grimmjaw Jaggerjaques, the representative of Las Noches district. Moreover, there was also his childhood friend, Ishida Ryūken, who lived in Quincy district. He waved at gray-haired man with glasses, receiving a glare from the man. In the end, Isshin was ignored. He looked at the two unknown to him people. One of them had tattoos all over his body and waves of red hair, held by black bandana. The other was even more interesting – it was... a body... of a young male with a pink aquarium instead of head. Inside of the aquarium were floating two white balls, which had small faces. Isshin gulped when one of the balls looked directly at him, while the other spoke to the blond male.

"Shinji, what is the meaning of this?" The ball spoke in distorted, high-pitched voice.

"Calm down, Aaroniero. There's a good reason I brought him with me." Shinji answered and told Isshin to come closer to the strange man. Both balls turned to the doctor.

"Tell us your name." The other ball, this time using deep baritone, encouraged the man to speak. Isshin, however, didn't feel encouraged enough to introduce himself.

"The man's name's Kurosaki Isshin from part 49 of Rukongai, boss. apparently, someone from Soul Society fell down and now the man's takin' care of him." Shinji stated, making everyone gathered hum in interest.

"Fell down?" Both balls asked in unity. Isshin nodded, feeling unwell. For a second he doubted his decision of telling about Ichigo. The man feared the Resistance Force would intrude his family and harm everyone he cared for. "Mr. Kurosaki-"

"Doctor Kurosaki." Isshin glared at the aquarium. Both balls looked amused, one of them scowled angrily while the other grinned.

"My bad. Doctor Kurosaki, my name is Aaroniero Arruruerie and I'm the Head of Resistance Force. You may call me Aro if you want, I know my name is confusing." The cheerful ball laughed. It was a creepy view. "If you have any valuable info about Soul Society that would be helpful, tell us about it." Isshin sighed and decided to tell whole story, about how his daughters found the boy, how the boy healed at amazing speed, and Ichigo's escape from a strange laboratory after tests and shots. Silence fell after Isshin had finished his talking. The Head, Aaroniero, thought deeply.

"Where is this boy now?" The blue haired male asked, drumming his fingers.

"I'm taking care of him at home."

"Aro, I think you have to see him. If Soul Society decided to experiment on people, then it's bad news." Ishida Ryūken suggested.

"I know..." Baritone ball spoke. "Our mission to destroy the 'Substitue' project failed, we lost one of our best people, Shinigami violate every district and now this..." The red-haired man looked down in sorrow. "I'm really sorry about Rukia, Renji. We all are."

"She's somewhere there, I know it." Renji replied angrily.

"Anyway, about the boy..." Aaroniero stood up and moved closer to Isshin. "I want you to take me to your house."

"Oh no, you won't." The doctor took a defensive stance and glared at the aquarium. Both balls seemed to be surprised. "There's no way my daughters are going to see the like of yours. They're too small for that."

"Why you-" Grimmjaw was about to go and punch the bearded man, but the leader stopped his tracks.

"It's alright. After all, I don't need to wear this hologram mask in Rukongai." His hand grabbed the base of aquarium and pushed a few buttons. Isshin shook when both balls broke the glass barrier and formed themselves. The sight was pretty disgusting, so brown eyes looked the other way. "I'm sorry, I know this isn't a plesant sight to watch." A smooth, male voice surprised the doctor. He turned around and couldn't believe his own eyes. Right in front of him was standing Ichigo. Well, there were some minor differences of his appearance. The male seemed to be in his twenties and had longer, black hair. His eyes were deep aquamarine and they observed in curiosity the stunned man. "What? There's something wrong?" Isshin ignored colors, he would always recognize the face of his adopted son everywhere. "Ryūken, take Renji with you and try to do something about the mission. Maybe we'll be find its body somewhere."

"It'd be a lot easier if we knew how it looks like..." The grey-haired man commented, receiving a nod from young male.

"I'm going with Doctor Kurosaki. If something happens, find me in Part 49." The group nodded. "Let's go." The aquamarine-eyed male left the room, dragging still confused Isshin. "What's with you? Seen a ghost or something?"

"N-No, it's just..." Isshin and Aro left the building and were marching to the Part 49 of Rukongai District, occasionally bumping into people or tripping better-not-known stuff under their feet. "Your face... Do you happen to have a twin? Or a similar-looking sibling?" Aro rose his eyebrow questioningly.

"No. What about it?" Board with number 49 appeared in front of men. Isshin was really glad his Part was next to the centre of Rukongai.

"The boy I told you about, Ichigo... It's uncanny how you two look the same." The younger male rolled his eyes and concentrated on his tracks. _'The Doc must probably have problems with face recognition.' _he thought. "Go to the left. The last door is mine." After a few steps they reached green door. Behind them, men could hear sounds of boyish laughter. Aro looked at the other man as he was knocking on the door and slowly opening them. Isshin went first. "Hey, I'm home!"

"Dad's back!" Yuzu called cheerfully. "Dad! Dad! You won't believe what we discovered! Ichigo is actually very tickli-..." The brown-haired girl stopped her tracks when she noticed her father's companion. She stood without moving. Aro bowed his head at the girl and smiled. However, Yuzu's eyes opened in shock mixed with fear.

"Yuzu, what's wrong? Is Old Man home?" Behind the girl stood her sister, glancing over the other's shoulder. In a second, she understood why Yuzu suddenly fell silent. "D-Dad... W-Who is this?" Isshin expected his daughters to react like that. Having not only one, but two people who were the same, was a shocking experience.

"Girls, this is mister Aaroniero Arrur...ru-something." The younger male snickered at his last name. Almost nobody he knew could pronounce it correctly. "He's here to see and help your brother." Isshin let his guest go further inside and told him to sit on sofa. "And where's Ichigo? He wasn't supposed to go out of his bed!"

"He went to the bathroom. His legs seemed to be better already." Karin spoke, not leaving her eyes from the stranger. Aro was confused with the hostility and confusion, but decided to ignore that. Then, the door to the bathroom opened and the boy with orange hair shakily stepped outside, using a wall to support his steps.

"Old man, you're home already?" Ichigo spoke, not looking at his surroundings. Aquamarine eyes got bigger. The face... was the exact copy of Aaroniero's. "My legs don't hurt that much, so I decided to take a small walk. I hope you don't mind." Brown eyes focused on the floor as the boy was walking slowly.

"What the fuck is going on?" A strange to Ichigo voice showed up in front of him. He steadied himself and looked up. Brown stare met aquamarine shocked gaze. An odd sensation ran through Ichigo's veins when he observed his almost perfect copy. The feeling, the urge he had had since the beginning came with full force, causing spasms and high fever. Yuzu and Karin screamed, quickly catching their brother before the one could fall on the ground. Isshin reached for his cabinet and tried to find something to cool down the boy. Through hard convulcions, Ichigo's eyes didn't leave now horrified face of the stranger. Aro, feeling it wasn't good to just stand and stare, approached Ichigo and helped girls stabilize him. The orange-headed teenager lifted his hand and clutched Aro's arm painfully. His brown gaze was distant.

"I-Ichigo, stop it!" Isshin grabbed boy's hand, trying to release the grip. However, nails dag even deeper and Ichigo lifted himself up to painfully embrace male. "Ichigo, listen to me!"

"Let go of me!" Aro tried to free himself from orangette's clutches. He felt how his skin started to bleed from nail cuts. The embrace was too strong for him and he was having problems to breathe. "I-Isshin! Do somethi-URGH!"

"Brother!" Yuzu started to cry. "You're strangling him!" Isshin cursed loudly, leaving the seizure medicine and looking for strong sedative. He uncovered Ichigo's arm and quickly injected medicine in Ichigo's vein. The orange boy screamed, feeling his body becoming numb. Karin was holding her brother, while Yuzu and Isshin were trying to untangle the young male from weak limbs. Aro made a move back, afraid the orange teenager would try to grab him again.

"Ichigo, can you hear me?" Isshin stood in front of his son and shook him. "Ichigo, look here! Look at me!" The doctor tried to draw attention on him, but it was useless. Brown eyes still stared at black-haired young male. Ichigo's breathing was becoming slower. Eyelids were heavy. _'Sedative must be working now.' _Isshin checked pulse.

"Shi..." Numb mouth spoke. The Kurosaki family didn't get what the teenager meant. "Shiba..." Isshin assumed Ichigo was speaking to Aro and turned his head. What he saw had surprised him. "Shiba... Kaien..." The young male tensed at words, his aquamarine eyes blinded with horror. "Kaien..." This name was familiar, but Isshin couldn't tell where he had heard it. "Kaien..." This was the last word before Ichigo finally gave up to the sedative and fell asleep.

"Yuzu, Karin, help me carry Ichigo to his bed." Girls nodded and took their brother's plastered legs, while Isshin supported Ichigo's upper body. Ichigo was lying in his bed. "Good. Both of you, out." Sisters looked at each other and listened to their father. Aro was observing how two girls exited the home. With the sound of shutting doors, Isshin grabbed the younger's shirt and pinned the other to the wall. "Now you're going to tell me who the fuck are you..."

* * *

**Ag-ro-tag's note!  
Hello!  
I must say that i'm rather happy with your feedback. What I mean is that I receive the messages of new followers ;) I also checked the traffic - 266 views in three days is a nice score :D**

**Yeah, I've decided to finally introduce Kaien to the story (since he'll become the second main protagonist ;))**

**I also would like to answer to people from reviews (there aren't many of them and that's a big pity...):**

**Voluptuous:  
Thanks for your comments so far ;) I'll try to introduce as many characters as I can, but not too many - it's quite problematic to develop their personalities if there's too many of them**

**Mayuzu:  
I'll make sure there'll be more to read ;)  
**

**blackgetsuga:  
Answering your questions -  
1. I haven't decided on pairings yet. I indicated so far RukiaxRenji, but if it's about Ichigo... His relationship may become a little complicated later. I need to figure it out myself (you know the feeling when you have a small idea in your head, yet you still can't tell what is the idea? That's what I feel about pairing Ichigo with someone ;)).  
2. You may say that he's super intelligent ;) While being in Vitality Departament, he memorized about 300 books on different topics and whatever he said at the beginning, was simply quoting books. And he's a fast learner (though he had problems with basic activities like eating and drinking).**

Alright, that's all folks! Have a nice day/night ;P


	5. Beauty of home

**READ AND REVIEW, but mostly ENJOY :)**

**By the way, it's official now, I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE ANY ROMANTIC CONNECTION BETWEEN PROTAGONISTS (So no shounen-ai/yaoi)! Further explanation below the chapter.**

* * *

-BEAUTY OF HOME-

"Now you're going to tell me who the fuck are you..." Rage was radiating all over the room. Kurosaki Isshin couldn't understand what had happened a while ago. Ichigo seemed to know the boy. However, the reaction was sickening and brutal. The old man was mostly angry at himself, putting his adopted son into pharmacological sleep. "What have you done to Ichigo?"

"Isshin, calm down." The aquamarine-eyed male inhaled through his nose, trying to keep cool. "Let go of my shirt and then we'll talk normally."

"WHY SHOULD I CALM DOWN!?" Isshin yelled at Aaroniero. Aquamarine gaze hardened. "Ichigo would never behave like that! If you don't start talking, the-!" Suddenly, Isshin's vision changed, ask he was flipped over and pinned to the ground in a blink of an eye. Sudden change of roles made the younger smirk.

"I said 'calm down', so will ya?" The older groaned and tried to shake the other off of him, but the way he was held didn't let him move. Aaroniero continued. "I have never seen that boy in my life and I'm as confused as you." His eyes softened and looked at sleeping boy. "He doesn't seem like a bad kid. And it's normal for a father to protect his child, right?." The scowl left doctor's face. Aaroniero took it as a sign and released the other.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away..." He sat up at looked apologetically at the male.

"It's alright." The younger male smiled reassuringly and approached the sleeping boy, thinking over the incident. "Honestly, I thought you were exaggerating about him being similar to me." Isshin sat on the edge of Ichigo's bed and checked his forehead. It was like an oven.

"What did it mean?" The older asked. "He said to you a name... Shiba Kaien." Aaroniero stiffened and looked away. "I know that name from somewhere..."

"Yeah, it's pretty famous." Aro grabbed his black locks and sat on the other side of the bed. "He was the youngest and the strongest Shinigami lieutenant in the Seretei Safety Station."

"Now I remember... He ended a six-year curriculum in two years and became a Shinigami in age of 15..." Isshin was pleased with his memory. "Three years ago he disappeared..."

"During the Rukongai mutiny..." Aaroniero ended the sentence. "Only his lieutenant badge was found. No traces of his body, no info about his location – it's as if he never existed." The doctor caressed orange locks, brown eyes worried.

"But why? Ichigo barely remembers what happened two months ago... And why saying it to you?" Isshin looked at Aaroniero. The youner's features were mixed. The reaction was too suspicious for the doctor. He changed his gaze from the boy and the male, until a sudden realization dawned on him. "You... You're Shiba Kaien..." The younger one glared. "But how-!"

"DON'T." Kaien silenced the man. "Whoever had learnt my name didn't live for long..." A piece of metal flashed dangerously under the younger's coat. Isshin paled. "But nothing will happen as long as you don't tell anyone about that. And don't try to ask further questions." The doctor nodded insecurely. "I really want to help you with Ichigo, I honestly do."

"So what do we need to do?"

"Firstly, had he got anything on him when he fell down?" The older black-head pointed at heater, where was a set of white clothes. Kaien took them and looked carefully. The shape of clothes and material was not unknown to him. _'It's the Vital Department. Who was the boss? ...Kisuke.' _he frowned and hid them under his coat. Suddenly, Ichigo's sleeping figure shifted violently, causing the younger to jump back. Whimpers escaped tanned lips.

"He's waking up..." Isshin held his son's shoulders, immobilizing him. He was afraid the orange boy would attack the younger male, again. "And I gave him a megadose of sedative. A normal person wouldn't wake up for at least 12 hours."

"He's one interesting guy..." _'Not to mention why he looks just like me four years ago...' _The teenager opened lazily one eye.

"D-Dad..." Ichigo spoke. He wanted to lift himself up, but the older's grip didn't let him. "What's going on..?" Fear washed all over the boy. Memories of being held like that showed up. Urahara had done that before Ururu gave him injections. Fear paralyzed the boy.

"It's all right, Ichigo. Nothing's going to happen to you." For some reason the words didn't sound as reassuring as Isshin wanted them to be.

"I-I f-feel strange..." Ichigo shivered uncontrollably. Sweat was falling down from his body.

"Kaien, give me a bottle of water from the fridge." Isshin ordered.

"K-Kaien?" Ichigo looked where was the fridge. He noticed the same male from before. His brown eyes hardened and the boy tried to free himself from Isshin's restraint. Kaien looked at the boy from safe distance, thinking. Why was this boy acting like that? They met each other for the first time, and yet the orangette seemed to know who he was. He swallowed a lump in his throat and took a risk of moving closer to the fidgeting boy. "S-Stay away..." Kaien handed over the bottle, not leaving his aquamarine eyes from brown ones. Isshin's chest clutched tightly at his son's words. He wasn't sure if he should trust the Shiba man.

"What have I done to you?" The black-haired asked. Ichigo relaxed a little and was stopping his attempts to get out of bed.

"Y-You're making me feel s-sick..."

"And why is that?" Aquamarine eyes were showing pure concern.

"I-I don't k-know..." Ichigo answered hesitantly.

"Isshin, I have an idea." The doctor looked at the younger male. "Release him."

"What? But won't he-?"

"I mean, if he tries to do something, then help me, but for now just let go." Kaien slowly sat on the edge of the teenager's bed. "Ichigo, try to fight that feeling, ok? All I want is to talk to you." Ichigo didn't move, doing everything he could to stop his urge. _'I want to... I want... Stop, I can't do that!' _Kaien moved closer, this time putting his hand on Ichigo's. He jumped, but still didn't move. One thought repeated inside of his thoughts, over and over. _'Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't do it...' _In the end, he relaxed. Seziures stopped. "Ichigo, can you talk to me?" Isshin gave his son a cup of water and ordered him to drink. After few sips and a loud sigh, the boy nodded. "I know you escaped from the Vital Departament. Do you remember a guy named Urahara Kisuke?" The orange head nodded with pained look on his face.

"He actually mentioned that Urahara guy before." Isshin added. "When I asked about his family, he said his name and someone else's. I can't recall it."

"It was Ururu..." Ichigo answered. Kaien was now sure that Ichigo hadn't made his story up. Kaien recognized the name of Urahara's assistant.

"What were they doing to you?"

"Tests... and injections..."

"What kind of injections?"

"I don't know... But they were painful..." Ichigo shook at the memory. "It was burning my veins like acid. My muscles were paralyzed and it felt as if my bones were breaking, too..." Kaien hummed. He took an ampoule from the nightstand near Ichigo and broke it. Using a small shard, he cut Ichigo's arm. It started to bleed. The orange boy groaned in pain. "W-Why are you-?"

"Shush! Just hold your hand for a moment. Isshin, don't do anything." The black-haired ordered when Isshin was reaching for a patch. The wound was bleeding until skin around it defragmentated itself and covered the hole. All three men stared in awe when there was no sign of a cut. "I recognize this regeneration pattern... But how can it be done by itself?" Whispering to himself, Kaien stood up and looked at both Kurosakis from above. "Do you know any scientists living here in Rukongai?" Isshin nodded.

"My good friend, Ukitake Joushiro was once a scientist in Soul Society, but he was exiled due to a strange illness. He lives now in Part 13 of Rukongai."

"Alright, give me directions. As for you, Ichigo." The male this time turned to lying boy. "I hope your legs are good enough to walk. You're coming with me."

"Hold on!" The older male stood up and faced Kaien directly. "He's not going anywhere."

"Isshin, we need to find out why Ichigo is in his state. If we bring Ukitake here, we'll bring attention to your household." Kaien spoke.

"Then I'm going with you."

"No, Old Man." Kaien and Isshin looked at Ichigo, who was trying to sit on the edge of his bed. His face was sweaty and red from fever. The doctor didn't even think of letting his son go in that state. However, what Ichigo said left him shocked. "Somebody needs to look over Karin and Yuzu..." He was breathing heavily, but tried to stand up. "Take off these casts..."

"Are you out of your mind, Ichigo!?" The old man grabbed boy's shoulders and shook them. Pure panic was rising up in old brown eyes. "You haven't fully recovered from your fall! And you don't know what is he up to!" Isshin pointed at the other man. "If you go with him, you may even be in danger! And if I don't go with you, how will I-!"

"Stop." Ichigo interrupted his dad's words. He was panicking also, but for some reason he wanted to go with the aquamarine-eyed male. "We'll just go to see Mr. Ukitake and I'll be back, I promise." Ichigo took Isshin's hands off of his shoulders. "Please." The older man sighed and reached for scissors, though he was against Ichigo's decision. With casts off, Ichigo's legs were shaking with every step. The boy tripped and almost fell down, but Kaien was fast enough to catch him.

"I'll help you for now." Ichigo nodded and leaned his body-weight on the other man. He took a last glance at his father, before slowly reaching entrance door. "Alright, we'll be on our way." Before moved further, Isshin grabbed Kaien's shoulder and forced him to turn around.

"Please..." His voice was cracking. "Keep him safe..." Kaien smiled with understanding and walked away with limping Ichigo. Isshin sent a look full of worry and sorrow. He came back to his apartment, which became really big and empty. _'How am I going to explain this to girls...'_

* * *

"Bring me Aizen Souske, right now!" The Head Commander of Soul Society, Yamamoto Genryuusai, hit his desk while he was yelling at one of the Shinigami lieutenants. After three weeks of unfruitful search for the lost Subject 15 the man became impatient. It wasn't possible for the humanoid to perish just like that. He closed his steel eyes and recalled what Doctor Kurotsuchi said a few days after Subject's escape.

_"His flesh is not the same as of a normal human. Sure, tissues look the same, even the shape of a single cell is the same! But you need to look deeper into its contents. Every cell has got mitochondria – a structure, which produces chemical energy that allows the cell to live. But we created a different kind of mitochondrion – Electronic Piko-Pins, or EPPs, are like small generators of electric energy that let a non-biological organism function. Moreover, it absorbs the energy from gas exchange. EPP can work only with atoms, making them crush and release the energy. So, as you can see, that's why the Subject #15 is always considered as a machine system rather than a human being. If we use appropriate equipment to detect electronical mechanisms on the Earth, we'll be able to find even a cell of the Subject."_

The Commander opened his eyes and furrowed. The Seretei used terrestrial radars to search for the humanoid and they made sure to look through every single area. However, nothing was found. _'There is a possibility, that the Subject was hidden in one of the Districts. People built walls made of radiation-proof materials. They contain a huge amount of lead. Even a new nuclear bomb isn't going to break these walls, so don't hope for a harmless radar...' _Mayuri continued the explanation inside of his head. He remembered giving Shinigami squads an order to enter and search in Rukongai district. It had been two weeks and there still hadn't been information about the Subject #15 whereabouts.

"You called for me, Sir?" The door of Commander's office opened. The brown-haired scientist with glasses greeted the man. Yamamoto scowled.

"Well? Did you find anything?"

"Unfortunately, we don't know where the Subject #15 is." Aizen smiled. "However, there was a small trace of gas-tranfser fluid near the Eastern entrance of Rukongai district." Yamamoto's eyes opened in interest. "Gas-transfer fluid is just like blood in humans, though it's completely synthetic and instead of blood cells we put oxygene receptors and rejectors, so there are two types of erythrocytes in his system rather than one. The Subject also doesn't have any white blood cells or thrombocytes."

"Thank you for this educational, yet unnecessary lecture, Doctor Aizen." Yamamoto growled. The brown-haired man stood silently. "So it seems the Subject IS somewhere in Rukongai... My squads haven't found anything for two weeks..."

"That's probably because you were only searching on the streets and stores. Also, Rukongai is pretty big, Sir, and we've only visited 5 of 50 Parts."

"Yes, Parts 8, 12, 13, 31 and 45... Our squads entered from the Southern entrance." Yamamoto reached for his telephone and dialed a number to his assistaint. "New orders to Shinigami Squads – they have got a permission to enter every single household. Also, send five groups to the Eastern gate and search through Parts 9, 22, 23, 28, and 49." He put the phone down and turned to the scientists. "The project 'Substitute' takes a lot of my time and my nerves, Souske. I have my limits of patientce."

"You surely do, Commander."

"I'm slowly losing my faith in you. This wouldn't have happened if your Department hadn't screwed up the Security System. Someone has to take responsibility for that. Do you understand it?"

"Perfectly. What do you want me to do, Sir?"

"Find the one in charge of this whole mess and serve a rightful punishment!" Aizen smiled widely and bowed to the Head Commander.

"As you wish, Sir."

"Alright. You're dismissed."

* * *

"Are you alright, Ichigo?" Kaien asked when he noticed how Ichigo clenched his teeth and closed his eyes.

"Y-Yeah... It's just that... This strange feeling comes back and it's tiring to overcome it." The teenager responded, breathing heavily.

"You mean like when you jumped on me?" Ichigo nodded. "What makes you do that?"

"I told you, I don't know... But it makes me so nauseous and... empty. For some reason I just want to... I want..." Kaien rose his brow. The description sounded weird. Ichigo's brown eyes clouded and his hand tightly gripped the other's shoulder.

"Whoa, Ichigo, stay with me!" Kaien feared that the bad scenario was about to repeat itself and this time nobody would help him. The male used his fist and punched the other. Ichigo fell down. He shook his head and looked in confusion at the black-haired. Kaien sighed in relief at the aware look of brown eyes. "Sorry about that, but I haven't thought of anything else." He held out his hand and helped the boy to stand up.

"N-No, it's alright. I'm sorry..." Ichigo put his hand on his cheek. It was hurting. A lot. "That's probably the best way to snap me out of this state." They continued their walk. It was a first time Ichigo could see 'the outside' of his home. Streets of Rukongai were very spacious and crowded with different people. Most of them were selling stuff found on the surface, some minor weapons and bottles of filtered water. Street lamps were lighting the streets all day, so nobody could tell whether it was night or daylight. The only thing that could tell the time were clocks, apparent in front of every household. Clock faces were a lot different than in Soul Society – each had been divided into two parts – White one for the daytime and black one for the night. Even numbers from two to twelve were written two times, one set on different color. Between the numbers, there was a line with twelve points, divided into four equal pieces. One point meant 10 minutes, one piece – 30 minutes, a half of line – an hour. A little below the centre was a small window that was showing numbers from 0 to 9. They meant single minutes. Ichigo learnt to read the Rukongai clock from Kaien while they were going to the scientist, Ukirake Joushiro. The trip was very long and so both men were talking about things in Rukongai that Ichigo should know. It was something different for the orange boy. Since he came to Kurosaki household, it was him to teach his sisters and his father by telling them all stroies about the Earth. It appeared that Kaien also knew the Earth's history. And not only that – he also knew a lot about Soul Society, Rukongai and the neighboring districts – Las Noches, Karakura and Vandenreich (most of Rukongai people decided to change that name into Quincy district). After an hour and a half of walking and passing different Parts of Rukongai, Kaien and Ichigo finally reached a board with number '13' written on it. From the distance, Kaien noticed oddly big number of men in black coats, reminding of an old-Japanese kimono. They also had a white belt with a katana sword on one side and a machine gun on the other. All of them were holding strange detectors, looking for something inside of people's houses. The male frowned and dragged Ichigo out of street, hiding them both behind a wall.

"There's awfully a lot of Shinigami out there." Kaien whispered to his companion.

"Why are they here, Kai-?" Ichigo couldn't finish his question, because Kaien quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

"For the record, my name here is Aaroniero Arruruerie. I can't risk revealing my true identity, you got that?" Ichigo nodded and freed his mouth from the other. "I have no idea why there's so many of them, but we need to be careful while passing them." Kaien searched inside of his bag and took out a metal necklace with a round-shaped medallion. "Here, wear this." He put it on Ichigo's neck. "This is a Shapeshifter device. When you press the medallion, it'll create a hologram all over your head, giving you a new face and voice." Kaien showed Ichigo his own medallion and demonstrated the mechanism of device. All of a sudden, the man's face with black hair and aquamarine eyes changed into a face of a very old man without one eye. Ichigo blinked in amusement. "Now, turn on yours." Ichigo nodded and did the same. His face was also of an old man, this time with long grey hair and dark beard. Ichigo was startled. Suddenly, Kaien's normal face came back. "Don't worry. My medalions are connected, so it's normal for us to see our true selves." Ichigo nodded and both came out of shadows. The passed the line of Part 13 of Rukongai. Ichigo looked nervously around, feeling uncomfortable with Shinigami so close.

"They're staring at us..." He whispered to Kaien.

"Try not to look at them. Just go straight and natural." Kaien could feel sweat running down his forehead. He tried not to show it, but he was as nervous as hell. He knew he had to be careful with the face holograms – if somebody touched his head, the picture would disappear. He tried to recall directions to Ukitake's flat. To his dismay, there were more and more black-coated guardians on their way. He looked around and found a small alley, without any people, on his right. "This way, we'll take a little detour." Ichigo listened to the other and complied. Both of men walked for a moment until...

"Hey! You two!" They froze. Kaien looked behind. A very tall man in black uniform walked towards the pair of old men. Ichigo tried to calm himself down, but he could feel a storm in his stomach. Kaien put on a smile face and started a small act.

"Aaah, good day, mister Shinigami. What can we do ya for?" The man without an eye spoke.

"Blaze Williams, Shinigami of the 4th squad of Seretei Safety Station in Soul Society." The man introduced himself. "Your identification and reason of your visit." Kaien's and Ichigo's real faces paled.

"A-Ah, ya see, sonny, I just took my brother for a small walk. We normally live here and-"

"Mister, I've just seen you entering the Part 13 for the first time. I don't recognize you from here." _'Shit...' _Kaien cursed in his head. "I assume you don't have any ID? May you please come with me to the Control Station."

"W-We're in a hurry. We need to come back to our house and take our... erm... Heart Medicine...Ugh!" The bearded old man spoke when he felt a punch in his ribs from the other old man. The Shinigami's gaze hardened. Realization dawned on Ichigo as he recalled one of Rukongai's rules that Kaien told him on their way. _'Because we belong to Districts of Resistance, Soul Society cut off all our supplies and banned people from using medicine for chronic diseases. The only things we can practically use are painkillers. If a Shinigami finds something suspicious, he arrests the holder and confiscates pills.'_

"What Heart Medicine? Are you using not-perimitted medicine for a chronic disease?"

"No, no, no, sonny, he didn't mean that!" Kaien tried to fix the situation. "He meant normal painkiller! Yah, his heart aches often, so he now calls this medicine like that." Ichigo tried to nod in agreement.

"That's enough. I want you to come with me." Both old man wanted to protest more, but the Shinigami extended his hand and put it on Ichigo's shoulder. Unfortunately, the palm slid from shoulder to neck. The Shapeshifter's signal was disturbed and so Ichigo's face was changing from an old man's to his own. The boy moved away from the hand, but it was too late. "W-What is the meaning of this!?" Ichigo's horrified face blurred and flashed until it finally became clear. "I-It's you! GUARDS! IT'S THE SU-MPHM!" Brown eyes got even bigger, irises shrinking to their limits. Just when the guard was calling for a back-up, the other male instantly appeared behind the Shinigami. Old hand quickly covered the man's mouth and, suddenly, a katana sliced through the guard's throat. Blood sprayed on Ichigo and all over the alley. Some of it also landed on Kaien's hologram, disturbing the image and revealing emotionless face with ice-cold eyes. The Shinigami moved his mouth and gurgled a few sounds. Bloody-red stream was flowing from his mouth as he was sliding down the wall to the ground. Sounds and moves of the guard stopped. The view overwhelmed the orange-haired teenager. His legs couldn't steady him anymore and he fell on his knees. Kaien took out his sword from the corpse and, with a swift swing, cleaned it from blood.

"Fuck... What a mess..." His expression changed into annoyed as he was looking at the bloody alley. "This situation was hopeless from the start." He hid his katana under the coat and turned to the paralyzed boy. "Ichigo." His body was shaking. "Ichigo, we've got to move!" Kaien grabbed the boy's shoulders and tried to lift him up, but the boy became heavier than before.

"Y-Y-You... What h-h-ave y-you...H-He's..." Words couldn't smoothly pass through his shaking lips. Kaien growled. The situation was giving him a headache. He wrapped Ichigo's arm around his neck and finally lifted him up.

"I didn't want to use it, but there's no choice..." He put his left leg in front of him and bent his body lightly. Aquamarine eyes were glowing light blue. "Ichigo, hold me tightly."

"W-Wha-!?" Before he could even start, Kaien took a step and both of them vanished from the alley.

* * *

**Ag-ro-tag's NOTE!**

**Hello! Another chapter served ;)**  
**And here's also my explanation:**  
**Yeah, I tried, I really tried to fit love into this image, but for some reason... It'll be forced and I don't want it to look like that... So if any of you wanted some KaienxIchigo action, then I have to disappoint you.**

**BUT!  
I want to make their relationship special. I have a general idea so far, but I still need some time to specify it a little bit.  
So I hope you're not going to be upset about it :)**

**Aaroniero's secret identity revealed! But I guess it wasn't that surprising... Was it?**

**And here's something extra: Ichigo's building personality reached its turning point ;) You'll soon see the outcome...**

**Take care and wait for the next update :)**


	6. Song of tiredness

**READ AND REVIEW, but mostly ENJOY!**  
**A/N later ;)**

* * *

-SONG OF TIREDNESS-

Ukitake Joushiro, he ex-scientist of Soul Society, was really angry. Not only the Part 13 of Rukongai district was filled more and more with Shinigami. Actually, black-coated men were forcing themselves into houses and messing everything up. The white-haired man sighed in annoyance when the last Shinigami finally left his apartment and closed the door. _'It was close... too close...' _he thought, recalling all medicine hidden under the floor in the kitchen. After a few minutes of cleaning his apartment, someone knocked on the door. The man, assuming Shinigami hadn't finished their search, opened the door. Instead of guards, a strong wind blew at him straight into the apartment. _'_

_'CLOSE THE DOOR'_

His eyes opened in shock while hearing the strange voice in his apartment. Nevertheless, he did what he was told. For some reason, the wind and echoing voice reminded him of something from Soul Society. The ability that only high-level Shinigami could use to move at abnormal speed, called 'Flash Steps' or 'Shunpo'. Shinigami could still communicate with each other, but the speed didn't let them talk, so they had to use a telepathy technique. Ukitake, suspecting that Shinigami broke into his house, slowly moved to the direction of the wind. He entered his living room and stood at the sight. Right in front of him were two men, both covered in blood. The orange haired boy was shaking in fright, holding tightly the black-haired male, whose eyes were glowing.

"Ukitake Joushiro?" The black-haired male asked the other. "We really need your help now." He untangled himself from the boy, whispering some soothing words. The orange-boys expression was still horrified. _'Ichigo must really not be used to such strong impressions. I hope nothing happened to him during the travel...' _

"What is the meaning of this?" The white-haired man finally shook out his shock and was on the verge of shouting. "Who are you? What's with this blood?!"

"It's alright, we're here because we need your help." Kaien spoke calmly. "Isshin said we should see you."

"Isshin?" Ukitake was really curious. He had no idea why his old friend would send two boys to his place. "Hold on a second. Are you a Shinigami?" He pointed at the older male. "That was a Shunpo, I'm sure of it. Only high Shinigami can use this style of moving." Kaien sighed. He really disliked when people were too smart for his liking. Nevertheless, it proved that the man was surely associated with Soul Society in the past. Ukitake wanted to ask more questions, but his attention landed on the trembling boy. He moved closer. "Who are you?" The orange haired boy looked up.

"Kurosaki Ichigo..." His mouth was shaking. The scientists rose his eyebrows. Isshin hadn't had any sons as far as he knew. "My Dad said... you may tell us... what happened to me..."

"What happened to you? But I don't know you." He scratched his head in confusion.

"He fell from Soul Society." Kaien quickly responded, receiving a strange look from the old man. _'Could he be... the boy Isshin told me about earlier?' _Ukitake nodded, helping the orange-haired boy stand up and directing him to the chair near his desk.

"I'll see what I can do..."

* * *

"I wonder when Brother will come back..." Yuzu whined, washing the dishes. The news about Ichigo departing with that strange Aarroniero man weren't comforting. Karin used all her willpower not to punch the Goat Face. Instead, only the mirror broke and the tomboy sat on sofa, not breathing a single word. Since then, Isshin took a chair and sat in front of the door, patiently waiting for his son's homecoming. "Dad, are you sure you won't eat anything?"

"I'll be fine, Yuzu. I'll just wait for Ichigo and then we'll have a nice family meal, like always." He gave his daughter thumbs up and smiled a little too brightly. It had been three hours since the orange teenager left his home. _'He should be at Ukitake's by now... God, I hope letting him go with that man wasn't a mistake...' _He shook his head as if he tried to shake dark thoughts off. The brown-haired girl hummed in worry.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

All members of Kurosaki family jumped in surprise. Yuzu looked at the clock. It was way past bedtime.

"Could it be Brother?" Yuzu beamed at thought and ran to the door, reaching them faster than her father. "I'll open it!" She grabbed the door knob and pushed it. "Welcome home, Ichi-!" However, her joyful voice stuck in her throat as three tall man in black coats pushed her back inside to the living room. Isshin reacted quickly and grabbed his daughter, bringing her close to him. Karin immediately moved behind her father as the guards formed themselves in a straight line. The last guard, who entered the Kurosaki's household, walked casually, humming a happy song under his nose. His face seemed to be pleased as he ran fingers through silver locks. Fox-like features turned themselves to the line of Shinigami, then to the family.

"My, my, sorry for the surprise. Were you expecting someone else?" Yuzu felt shivers down her spine at the seemingly pleased voice. The Shinigami's eyes, though closed, were directed at her and gave her a feeling of being wrapped by snakes. Isshin grabbed Yuzu's shoulder and hid her behind his back.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" He spoke through clenched teeth. The silver-haired man send a signal to his crrew, ordering them to start searching.

"The Seretei's Special Unit, 3rd Captain – Ichimaru Gin. Pleased to meet ya." The man pulled out his hand in greeting, but the doctor ignored it. "We got orders from The Head Commander of Soul Society to look for something or... someone..." The Shinigami stopped his speech when a small device started to beep loudly. Ichimaru's smile became even wider. Closed eyes landed on the undone bed. "Now, what do we have here..." He reached for a broken cast and looked inside. It was big enough to cover a whole leg. The device became even louder. "Who did it belong to?" The doctor's eyes changed from angry to shocked. Gin was happy with the reaction.

"No one..."

"Really? That's really bad..." The silver-haired man put the cast down and approached the old man. "Ya sure it was nobody important?" He waved his hand and, suddenly, two Shinigami with unmoved expressions appeared behind Isshin's daughters. The girls squeaked in fear, causing the doctor to yell. However, the guards didn't really care about that. "Can ya describe me that 'nobody'? Is he... a teenager?" Isshin paled. "Is he... orange haired?" Brown eyes widened in shock. "His name is... Ichigo?"

"I don't know who are you talking about..." Isshin sounded nervous. The captain was even more pleased and gave another order. Two Shinigami's hands grabbed girls, who started to scream and tried to free themselves. "LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

"Oh, hush, hush now, Mr. Kurosaki." The silver-haired man moved his face closer to the doctor. His happy voice was like a venom to Isshin's ears. A tall Shinigami captured the doctor from behind right before the other tried to punch Gin's face. "I think we started off on the wrong foot. What I mean is – you don't realize the importance of this 'nobody'. We just want to help poor Ichigo find his way back to his home in Soul Society. His family is really worried..."

"You lying pig..." Isshin spat on the captain's face, surprised that the other dodged smoothly.

"Uhh, it really is hopeless." Gin sighed in disappointment. "Leave us two alone." The other Shinigami bowed and walked out, two of them bringing Karin and Yuzu. Isshin was frightened with the situation and wanted to save his daughters, but a firm grip on his shoulder stopped his movement. "It's not good to play dumb with Soul Society, Kurosaki." The doctor shivered. "Normally, I'd kill you and your family on the spot, but I have a better idea. You seem to know where the Subject 15 is, so I'm offering you a deal."

"The Subject 15?" Isshin was confused, but his question was ignored.

"Bring him to me and I'll give back your kids. Simple, isn't it?" Gin grinned and walked past the old man. "But don't be too slow, 'kay? I may be patient, but not for long..." Before the black haired doctor could respond, the 3rd Captain of Seretei's Special Unit flashed in front of him and disappeared. Without a second thought, he ran out of his house and screamed his daughters' names. Unfortunately, only silence and concerned looks of Rukongai people met him.

* * *

"This is interesting..." Ukitake tried for the fourth time cutting Ichigo's arm and observing the regeneration pattern. He tried to understand this phenomenon for almost an hour. The black-haired man, who introduced himself as Aarroniero Aru-something, seemed to know a lot about Soul Society's Departments and Seretei, yet he claimed not to be a Shinigami. "One of my old friends from Soul Society told me about regeneration technique, called Skin Defragmentation. But, from what I know, you need to use a special apparatus containing a healing medicine that is sprayed all over the skin. You can even re-create an amputated limb, thanks to the vitality of tissues..." Ichigo withdrew his arm and observed it closely. Nothing made any sense to him, but he still hoped for some information about himself. He no longer knew who he really was. "There is a chance that the Vital Department decided to inject this healing medicine into Ichigo's body, but I doubt anybody could actually survive that."

"And yet, here is the proof of survival." Aaroniero commented. "The question is – why would Soul Society do such a thing to a person?" Ukitake thought deeply. Back in the days he worked for the Vital Department, nobody actually thought of creating an invincible man. The only thing they were concerned about was finding a cure to short-life of Soul Society's citizens. "Doctor Ukitake, what about Ichigo's memory?"

"I'm afraid nothing can be done." Ukitake took out a small flashlight and directed the light to brown eyes. The boy blinked uncomfortably, moving his face away from the source of light. "It can be an amnesia from the trauma. If exposed to specific stimuli, Ichigo may sometimes recall some scenes from his past life. But it may or may not happen." The black-haired may sighed, somehow expecting such an answer. He felt pity towards the orange-haired teenager. "In a few minutes I'll have the results of blood and DNA tests. It may actually explain these strange changes."

"I don't get why you actually took my blood as well?" Aarroniero whined.

"I need a comparison. You don't own the same abilities Ichigo does. This way, I can divide deformities." Aaroniero huffed and looked out the window. Shinigami from earlier disappeared and the street seemed to be peaceful again._'I hope the guards aren't riled up after the incident...' _He recalled the Shinigami he killed in the alley. After reaching the Ukitake's house, he was cursing himself for leaving the body uncovered.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Everybody froze. Ukitake quickly hurried to the door and tried to see who was behind them. There was a group of guards, which was led by a silver-haired man with closed eyes and pleased smile. Aaroniero was confused. He hadn't noticed them before. _'Fucking Shunpo... Who are those guys?... That man... SHIT, IT'S ICHIMARU GIN!' _Kaien's face paled and he quickly stopped the scientist from opening the door.

"We have to get out of here. Now." Ukitake didn't know how to react, when the black-haired man took his hand and dragged him to the other. "Ukitake, show us your emergency exit."

"But if I don't let them in, they'll chase you and kill you." His concern grew bigger as the knocking became even more intense.

"Listen. They are looking for Ichigo, I can feel it." Aaroniero spoke only half of truth. "If we don't go now, who the hell know what they would do?" The hectic situation left no choice to Ukitake. He showed to men a wooden plank, covering a wall. Behind that, a small, black opening formed. "Is that... Garganta?" Kaien and Ichigo looked in confusion.

"It'll lead you out of Rukongai. After 5 km there you'll find crossroads. If you go to the left, you'll reach the surface, right near the Soul Society Gate. To the right, you'll head to the Western Gate of Rukongai, but I must warn you – there's one of Control Stations of Shinigami . If you decide to go forward, you'll end up in Las Noches..." Everyone heard breaking of the door. "Now, go! Hurry!" Both Kaien and Ichigo hopped inside of Garganta. "Wait! Ichigo!" The orange boy turned around and caught a small, brown box. "Please, give this to your Dad." Ichigo tried to reply, but Kaien dragged him further down the tunnel. Ukitake closed Garganta and hurried to the door. However, instead of wooden board, he found a group of Shinigami. Ichimaru Gin stepped in front of the white-haired scientist and bowed his head.

"How do ya do, Mr. Ukitake?" The Shinigami leader chirped before pulling out the device and listening to the signal. His smile disappeared from his face when he noticed beeping sound was fading away.

"Captain Ichimaru, we found this object emitting a strong signal." One of Shinigami handed over two test-tubes with blood samples. Gin's eyes opened for the first time after visiting Rukongai. His light-blue eyes quickly read the results of DNA test. He turned to the scientist.

"Where is Ichigo?" Ukitake was held by two guards. His determined face didn't seem cooperative. There was no trace of captain's good mood from before. "Fine." A wakizashi pierced through Ukitake's chest in a blink of an eye. The Shinigami group was speechless. After a few coughs, Ukitake Joushiro lifelessly fell on the ground.

"C-Captain, what have you done!?" One of the guards yelled. "This man for sure had some information about The Subject #15's whereabouts!"

"I don't care. I lost most of my patience with that Kurosaki guy..." The silver-haired man reached for his Hell butterfly watch and dialed a number. After a few signals, he spoke. "Oy, Aizen, ya hear me?"

"What is it, Gin?" Male voice appeared from the other side of the watch.

"It appears that the Subject #15 is alright here, in Rukongai."

"Well, I know from Urahara's Lab that he acquired all the enhancing shots, so I was more than sure that he's alive." The scientist smirked. "Have you found him?"

"Nope, he's escaping. But I have found something more interesting."

"I'm listening."

"Deceased Scientists of Soul Society, Ukitake Joushiro, decided to run a few tests on the subject. I got a DNA test, right here with the results."

"And...?"

"It's written – 100% match with the control sample." After that, the watch became silent for a moment. "One tube belongs to Kurosaki Ichigo, so to the Subject, while the other is labeled 'Aaroniero'."

"And it's 100%..." Aizen thought deeply before chukling darkly. "There's only one way that result is accurate..." Gin's eyes closed again and he smiled broadly. "Gin, I want you to help me with preparations."

"Preparations of what?"

"Why, my visit in Rukongai, of course. I'll talk with the Head Commander and involve every squad in Seretei in this search. The project 'Substitute' is not over, yet..."

* * *

It'd been an hour since Kaien and Ichigo passed Garganta. Garganta gates were very convenient, because after closing them, the openings disappeared, so nobody could just open them. However, hiding a Garganta in Ukitake's house made Kaien wonder for a moment, but the thought was dismissed. His concern landed on Ichigo, who was suspiciously quiet whole time. _'Maybe he's tired?' _Kaien stopped his tracks and looked at the surroundings. The tunnel was pretty much deserted with lamps shining faintly. Only a few pipes, cardboard boxes and papers. Kaien found a bigger pile of papers and sat down. Ichigo just stared.

"We should rest." Ichigo frowned at his companion. "What?"

"We shouldn't have left Mr. Ukitake behind..."

"He's fine, I'm sure of it." Kaien smiles and showed a spot right near him. "Come on and sit down." Brown eyes landed on the floor. Hesitantly, he joined the other. "Try to sleep a little. We'll go to Las Noches in two hours or less."

"What about Dad? When will I go home?"

"Uh, this is going to be harder than expected." Kaien ran his hand through his face. "We can't go back until we lose these Shinigami jerks." Ichigo hummed in response. Suddenly, a bar of chocolate appeared in front of his face. "Eat up and then sleep. I'll be on the watch." The teenager's face grimaced.

"I'm not hungry... And I don't really need to sleep." Aquamarine gaze looked in question. "I don't know why, but my body don't really feel hunger or tiredness. It'd be better for you to go to sleep."

"Oh no, we can't really do that. What if a Shinigami showed up?" Ichigo's eyes narrowed.

"You'll probably deal with him the same way you did with the earlier one." The voice was really cold. Kaien just shook his head in defeat. Explaining the meaning of 'to protect' would really be bothersome. It was the first time Ichigo encountered the death, so it was just a normal reaction.

"I haven't done that out of fun."

"But your movements... The sword... It's just like them..."

"Well, I thought you knew who I was before, so that's not a big surprise?" Kaien reached for abandoned chocolate and decided to eat it.

"But you decided to abandon them." Ichigo continued. Kaien's face was more displeased. "Why?"

"I really don't like to talk about myself, boy." Sea inside of Kaien's orbs changed into ice. To his surprise, brown orbs were heated with anger. "Your scary face won't convince me." Ichigo's eyes shot open. In front of him, there was a strange flash, an image. Blurriness didn't let him recognize all the shapes, but he knew the emotions. All negative emotions that a normal human being could suffer. They were strange to Ichigo, he couldn't even name them. And this feeling of being forced... Forced to kill...

"They hurt you..." Ichigo whispered. Kaien's face showed surprise. "You had to do something horrible and it changed you. It was horrifying..." The older male watched carefully the teenager, apprehensive of what else Ichigo was going to say. "So you decided to run away from it. You didn't want to cause more pain..." The strange, mixed feelings disappeared, leaving Ichigo dumbfounded. "What was that?" His eyes met shocked face of his companion.

"The more I'm with you, the weirder this situation becomes..." Kaien spoke. Confusion didn't help him calm down. For some reason, Ichigo perfectly expressed all the feelings he had during the Rukongai mutiny from three years ago. He was tired. He just had to be tired... "Now that I think of it... Some sleep shouldn't harm anybody." The male stretched himself and leaned his back on the wall. "Keep an eye opened, Ichigo." The boy nodded and observed how Kaien's breathing became slow and steady. Again, the strange urge came back, but it was no longer sickening. _'I must have gotten used to it by now...' _Instead, he scooted closer to the sleeping man and put his head on the others shoulder. A small feeling of warmth came from the leaning cheek all over his body. Ichigo closed his eyes and decided to surrender to that comforting sensation.

* * *

**AG-RO-TAG's note!**

**Hello! It's been a while, but I just had lots of things to do ;)  
So, new chapter! I need to develop a relationship between Kaien and Ichigo, because it's seems to be... cold ;) And I really need to develop Kaien's past. I know how to do that, so don't worry ;)**

Have a nice day!


	7. Threat of recognition

READ, REVIEW, but mostly ENJOY!  
A/N later!

* * *

- THREAT OF RECOGNITION -

He had no idea how much time had passed. After closing his eyes, a strange feeling washed all over him, making his body numb and his mind blank. Ichigo thought that this must be 'tiredness' he had never experienced before. Even though he promised Kaien he would be awake, he couldn't lift those eyelids up. Breathing became even. His mind slowly drifted to sleep...

„_Kaien... Brother Kaien..." _The surroundings around him changed. They became bright and colorful. He looked around, expecting to see barely visible tunnel and his aquamarine-eyed companion. Instead, he found himself in beautiful gardens, between bushes of white roses. In front of him was standing a little girl with long, pitch-black hair and eyes blue like a clear sea. „_Brother Kaien, here you are!" _Ichigo was astonished by the fact how this girl had some similar features to Kaien. What also made her special was that she actually didn't have her right arm. She approached Ichigo with a big frown on her face. _„I've been looking for you everywhere!" _Suddenly, he felt his body and his mouth move on their own, though he couldn't hear his voice. The girl sighed and handed over an opened envelope. _„This is from the Shinigami Academy, your entrance results! You passed!" _The girl jumped in joy and hugged Ichigo. _„Everybody's proud of you! You're going to become a Shinigami and you're going to help the weak! Who knows, maybe you'll even help changing the Earth?" _Sharp pain jolted in his temples. _„Kaien? What's wrong? Kaien?...Kaien... Kai...K..." _Ichigo fell on the floor. Images flashed in front of him. The background was no longer bright – it was dark, heavy, covered in smoke. The gloomy atmosphere reminded him of the Rukongai district. Crowds of people were screaming in panic, running in different directions with eyes overwhelmed by fear. Behind them, fountains of blood-colored walls and streets in red. He could barely see black-coated figures and flashes of cold steel, occasionally burying themselves in human flesh. Ichigo was paralyzed. _„Lieutenant! Shiba Lieutenant! We need your orders, now!" _Ichigo moved his head to the source of voice, but the person's face was blurry. _„Get a grip, lieutenant! The squad doesn't know what to do!" _Ichigo felt himself being lifted up. Eyes landed on his hands. He was holding a long, sharp katana that didn't seem to be used. On polished surface, a pair of frightened aquamarine eyes looked back at him. _„JUSTICE FOR THE EARTH! KILL THE SOUL SOCIETY DOGS! KILL THE BLACK DOGS!" _Ichigo saw blurry figure coming at him with a knife. He wanted to stop him, tell him that it's a misunderstanding, tell that everything was going to be find. Instead... Defending himself, he moved his hand forward and let the figure impale himself on his sword. The person was no longer blurry. Ichigo could see clearly. The man was just a teenage girl. Brown eyes were slowly changing from shocked to lifeless. He wanted to turn his eyes away, but they didn't let him do that. His brain was doing everything to remember the girl's every detail – her blond hair done in pigtails, her faint freckles on round cheeks, her round eyes that were once full of determination... And hate... Ichigo hated this sight. He hated it so much. He screamed loudly in his thoughts. He wanted to stop his body, to take full control of his actions. Another scream came from him. He wanted to become free...

THUD!

This time, more realistic pain appeared in the back of Ichigo's head. The boy opened slowly his brown eyes. At frist, his vision wasn't clear and what caught his attention was a figure in front of him and a small group of people.

„ICHIGO! WAKE UP!" Brown eyes shot open. Kaien was standing with his back in front of him, facing a group of Shinigami guards. The leader of the group was a male with short, blond hair, fragile appearance and pale skin. Before the orange-haired boy could respond, the Shinigami leader quickly drew out his sword and swung across Kaien's chest. The black-haired male harshly jumped away, landing next to Ichigo. Blood was oozing from several wounds on his chest and his face. „Run away..."

* * *

Few moments earlier...

„NO!" Kaien quickly woke up at the sound of Ichigo's scream. '_Shit! Has somebody spotted us!?' _He drew out his sword and looked around. To his surprise, he hadn't found anything odd, except for the feeling of something leaning on his shoulder. He looked down and saw whimpering boy. _'What the... And he told me he's not sleeping, at all...' _Kaien tried to surpass his annoyance and hid his katana. The watch on his wrist showed that he slept for almost 1 hour.

„Alright, Ichigo, it's time to go." Kaien shook boy's shoulders. There was no response. „Oy, Ichigo!" He shook more roughly. The orangette's serene face didn't even flinch. „Guh, I give up..." Aquamarine eyes stared at the sleeping figure, observing every detail. Small smile showed up on Kaien's lips. _'You really must have a rough life, huh?... Should I carry him on my back?' _He considered the idea for a moment before he froze. He could feel it – the presence of somebody else. The black-haired took out a scarf and covered his face. Deciding that this area was no longer safe for both of them, he lifted Ichigo and threw him over shi shoulder. „You'd better not wake up now, Ichigo..." His eyes were glowing and, in milliseconds, both boys flashed. Kaien used Shunpo and tried to distance himself from the strange person. To his surprise, it was slowly getting closer. _'How the fuck someone can be faster than my Shunpo!?' _

_'THIS IS THE SHINIGAMI CONTROL STATION, SQUAD 3, LIEUTENANT KIRA IZURU. IDENTIFY YOURSELF, SHINIGAMI.' _The voice echoed inside of his head. Kaien snorted. The last thing he wanted was to have a lieutenant on his tail. And the Shinigami's name wasn't strange to him. _'I REPEAT – IDENTIFY YOURSELF OR THE CONTROL GROUP WILL BE FORCED TO STOP YOU.' _The pressure came closer and was more intense. Kaien was doing his best to move forward, but even with his experience in Shunpo he wasn't able to surpass the pain in his legs. _'SHINIGAMI, YOU HAVE VIOLATED MY ORDERS. I HEREBY DECLARE YOUR ACTIONS SUSPICIOUS. YOU ARE NOW GOING TO **STOP!**' _With the final word, Kaien screamed at the volume of telepathy speech. Moreover, the pressure made his legs instantly numb, disabling them to use Shunpo. He quickly embraced the sleeping orange boy, protecting him from the impact. Both men were lying on the ground. Kaien looked at Ichigo. He was still sleeping despite of being tossed around and falling on the ground. Kaien quickly composed himself and stood up. The scarf was firmly covering his face. Suddenly, a group of 6 Shinigami appeared in front of him.

„Shit..." He cursed under his nose. Guards prepared their swords and encircled two strange men. In front of Kaien was *standing a tall, fragile man with blond hair and blue eyes. He had a small, brown badge wrapped around his arm. The badge said 'SQUAD 3 LIEUTENANT'. Blue eyes analyzed both men in front of him.

„You're not a Shinigami." He waved his hand, giving a sign to his group to stay alert, but not to do anything. „Rukongai civilians are not allowed to use or learn techniques that only Shinigami can use." Lieutenant, Kira Izuru, als noticed Kaien's katana. „This is a zanpakuto... Where did you get that?" Aquamarine eyes narrowed dangerously. „How can you use Shunpo?"

„It's none of your business..." Masked Kaien growled, slowly moving away from the circle. The others lifted their swords. „Let us go and I'll let you live."

„This is a threat against the Law representative." Kira took a step forward. „You're now under arrest. I suggest you coming with us without any complaints. We have some things to clarify with you, boy..." All guards moved closer, closing the distance between them and Kaien with sleeping Ichigo. The black-haired male closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. Though nobody could see it, a smile formed under his scarf.

„I warned you..." His body disappeared in front of Izuru. The group of Shinigami was dumbfounded.

„GAH!" The blond man looked at one of his companions. The cold steel of katana flashed in front of him andcut the Shinigami's shoulder. Kaien quickly moved from one to the other, leaving bloody cuts and hitting every guard, except for the lieutenant. Before Kira could react, his companions were lying on the ground, howling in pain. The masked man in front of him was preparing for the next attack. Two swords clashed. _'He's fast!' _Kira jumped away and blocked the incoming attack from the male. _'This is almost my level... No... it even higher!' _He swung his hand, but didn't reach the target, as Kaien flashed behind him and used katana's handle to hit the back of his head. Sensing the attack from behind, Kira used his free palm to stop the handle. Holding the handle, the lieutenant used his sword and cut the man's cheek. Surprised, Kaien jumped back. He was quick enough to avoid a deeper cut on his face, but the sword reached his scarf and sliced it in a half. Izuru stopped himself, not believing his own eyes. The face of the rebellious civilian was too familiar to the deceased lieutenant of Squad 13.

„Shiba... Kaien...?" The blond man spoke slowly, his face getting pale even more. He was no longer sure if his mind was playing tricks on him or that he was seeing a ghost. „Kaien, is it really you?" The black-haired male corrected his stance, getting ready for the next attack. All Shinigami, who were knocked out earlier, slowly stood up and joined their Squad leader. One of guards used Shunpo and passed Kaien by, reaching for the sleeping boy. Sensing the Shinigami's intention, the young male reached Ichigo faster. Before the Shinigami appeared, Kaien took the orange boy and forcefully threw him away.

THUD!

The Shinigami withdrew himself and joined the group. Kaien breathed heavily. Shunpo blockade, which Kira Izuru used earlier, broke both of his shins. Even though he was able to endure the pain, it was slowly getting unbearable. He looked behind and saw Ichigo coming to his senses.

„ICHIGO! WAKE UP!" The lieutenant looked at the other boy behind Kaien. His eyes widened in shock. _'It's... the Subject #15!' _Thinking no more, he held his sword tightly and aimed for the male's chest. To his dismay, the other still dodged, moving closer to the orange-haired humanoid. Kaien hit the wall, falling next to Ichigo. All his wounds started to burn. „Run away..." Ichigo didn't know what to do. The group moved closer, pointing their katanas at both boys. Kira moved closer, meeting aquamarine glare with his blue eyes.

„How is that possible that you're alive, Kaien?" The blond man used a gentle tone. Ichigo couldn't recognize it – these words weren't angry... They were rather confused. „The Seretei, your squad, everybody – we were sure you died! But you... you..."

„Izuru." Kaien cut the Shinigami off. „Please, let us go. I don't want to have any troubles with you or Soul Society."

„You think I can easily let it go?!" The blond almost shouted. „After three years I meet you here, attacking Shinigami and running away with Soul Society's biggest project!" he pointed at the orange-haired teenager. _'Fuck, they are after Ichigo...' _„You were one of the greatest guards in Soul Society! Everybody respected you and you left everyone!" Kaien shook his head.

„None of you understand this! Soul Society isn't what you think it is!" Kaien growled back. „I tried to tell you that three years ago, but nobody wanted to listen!"

„What do you mean?" Kira rose his eyebrows. Ichigo listened carefully to their conversation as well. But the black-haired male only shook his head, secretly tightening his grip on the sword's handle.

„What I mean doesn't matter. I can't let you remember all what happened here." After that, Kaien used last of his strength to stand up and use Shunpo. Ichigo's eyes couldn't follow, when the male cut off 6 pairs of legs and disarmed every Shinigami around him. Each black-coated guard fell on the ground, either screaming in pain or unconscious. Kira was through his clenched teeth, his look showing pure disbelief. Kaien carefully approached him.

„You became a disgrace of Soul Society... A warrior stays loyal to their country..." The lieutenant spat out.

„And I stay loyal to my beliefs, Izuru." Kaien responded, bringing himself closer.

„Are you going to kill me?"

„No." Kaien roamed through Kira's pockets and found a small, metal box with two strange buttons. „But you must forget everything." Ichigo watched in interest as the black-haired male was moving the device closer to the blond man and a small puff of smoke appeared. The Shinigami's head fell.

„What have you done to him?" The boy asked, scared of the lifeless reaction.

„It's a memory replacer. Everything since he noticed us was erased. Instead, he's going to remember something else." The other explained, slowly moving to the next Shinigami.

„Something else? Like what?"

„I don't know. It depends on the model." He shrugged and released the smoke cloud in front of the unconscious guard. Ichigo observed his companion reaching another person, when suddenly he felt a strange pressure, passing him by and moving directly to the male.

„Kaien! Watch out!" But he was too late. The Shinigami slashed with his sword Kaien's back.

„FUCK!" The young male couldn't use his Shunpo anymore, so the hit was fatal. Ichigo froze at sight. The guard for some reason had his legs back again. Kaien looked at the wounded Shinigami. _'I... can't move...'_ The pain could no longer be ignored and his legs couldn't move. The orange-haired boy knew he had to stop Shinigami. He made a few steps. „Run! Go away!" The Shinigami was closer. Aquamarine eyes narrowed. His vision was foggy. The black coat was closer. _'It's the end...' _His gaze softened. Taking a deep breath, Kaien closed his eyes and waited for the final swing of the sword... which never came.

„GUH!" Blood was flowing out of the Shinigami's mouth and fell on Kaien's face. The lying male opened his eyes and looked up. A sword was coming out of throat. _'W-What... the... hell?' _The black-coated man shook violently and fell on the ground, right beside Kaien. Aquamarine eyes widened in shock. As the corpse fell, it revealed the orange-haired teenager. Bloody hands were trembling in tremor. „I-Ichigo..." Brown eyes were shrunk. He could feel the same sensation as in his dream. He remembered the face, the look, the body, the blood. Kaien sighed and tried to lift himself on his elbows. „Ichigo, come here." The teenager listened and complied. Now sitting, Kaien faced the boy, grabbing his head on both sides. „Look at me."

„I-I k-k-killed h-him..."

„You've done nothing wrong. You did it to save me." Kaien tried his best to comfort shaken teenager. „Get a grip. He's your first and he may be not your last."

„B-But-!"

„Ichigo." The orange-haired burst into tears. Taking away someone's life was just too wrong, it made his insides clench. Kaien let the other cry as much as he needed. Moreover, he was surprised by how well the boy was after his first kill. Normal people would probably become either a mere shell or they might become hysterical. „You have to get out of here. Go forward and when you find crossroads – just go ahead." The teenager stopped his sobs. His features showed pure confusion.

„What? B-But what about you?"

„I just can't go." He grinned sadly. „I may have looked tough earlier. The truth is, both my legs are broken and I can't neglect this pain anymore. I lost too much blood, as well..." The thought of being alone in tunnels and leaving wounded Kaien disgusted the teenager. Unexpectedly, he grabbed both of Kaien's arms, wrapped them around his neck and lifted the male in a piggyback ride. „W-What are you doing!?"

„I won't leave you here." Ichigo scowled.

„Are you crazy!? Put me down!" Kaien yelled, but he couldn't move.

„How do you use this thing?" The orange-haired kid asked, to Kaien's confusion. „This Shunpo?"

„Wha-This is impossible for you! People in Shinigami Academy can acquire this skill after two years of training in theory and practice!" Ichigo moved forward.

„I saw it a few times now. Give me some tips." His steps became faster. „I'm not sure, but I can sense a few people from the distance, slowly coming here. If we don't lose them, we won't be able to escape." The words were even more confusing _'How can he actually __sense__ other people?' _Kaien thought. „Hurry."

„Eh... Alright, but this is hopeless..." The male sighed and thought about the Shunpo skill. „Long story short – you need to use 100% of your blood supplies for your muscles. This can last only a second or your heart will stop. To actually do that, you need to connect your brain to your spirit particles and let them change the torrent of your spirit threads inside of your arter-"

„WAH, wait!" Ichigo looked back. „What 'Spirit particles'? What 'Spirit threads'?"

„I told you, this is hopeless!" Kaien stopped his explanation. The sensation of few people washed all over him. „Spirit particles are small pieces of energy and they are all over your body, in every system and in every nerve. Concentrated, they form Spirit threads – small strings that can control your body at your wish. But if you want to do anything, you first need to recognize spirit particles in yourself and form these threads."

„Can't you be less vague?"

„If you don't have Spirit threats, you simply can't perform Shunpo."

„But don't you have any tips?"

„There aren't shortcuts for everything!" Kaien thought deeply. Ichigo was right – people behind them were moving their direction and if they didn't run, they would be in big troubles. „Actually... there is a faster way... However, only a few people can use it." Ichigo listened carefully. „Gain some speed. While running, imagine a light-blue circle in the distance. Don't be aware of your surroundings, just focus on the centre of this circle. If you get closer, tense all your muscles, shoot all adrenaline you've got, stop breathing and think of the most aggressive thought you can only come up with. Finally, jump." Kaien gulped at the thought. „I must warn you – if you fail and lose your focus during your jump, you're going to crash and/or have a heart attack." Ichigo nodded and took a deep breath. He was running slowly, then faster. _'The circle... Draw a circle in front of me...' _With his eyes of imagination, a small, light-blue circle appeared about 200 meters from him. He could feel himself becoming even faster. Not even noticing, he tensed and felt his blood rushing rapidly in his veins. Kaien's eyes widened and whispered to himself. „This may actually work..." Even though he couldn't see it, brown eyes were glimmering with light-blue shine. _'It's closer... the circle... Jump into the circle...' _The most aggressive thought was the moment he killed the Shinigami guard. All emotions took over him, pushing him even faster than before. _'The circle... I'm in the circle... Now, jump... I have to jump... I HAVE TO JUMP!' _With the final thought he was in full control of his body movement. It was as if electric jolts were running all over his body. The surroundings were flashing and changing, but he knew how to avoid obstacles. That definitely was Shunpo...

* * *

**AG-RO-TAG'S note!**

Hiya! Sorry for the delay, but there are some hospital matters and I simply can't properly sit and write... I'm a bit tired -_-''

**Another chapter! This time is a bit Kaien/Ichigo centered, I'm still developing Ichigo's character (yeah, killing somebody definitely can build your character alright...). Also, here you have the proof that Ichigo is a really fast learner (in a rather inhuman way...). The next chapter may lack our heroes, I need to explain some things with other characters as well.**

**Oh, and the 'dream'... You may take a guess why Ichigo dreamt of that ;)**

That's all! Wait till the next chapter!


	8. Curse of pain

**READ, REVIEW, but mostly ENJOY!**

**A/N note after the chapter! ;)**

* * *

-CURSE OF PAIN-

"Excuse me, have you seen two boys around this street? One of them had bright-orange hair." Isshin asked desperately 20th person in Part 13 of Rukongai district. The answer was negative. The search was becoming more pointless. For some reason, Ukitake's house was blocked by a large group of Shinigami and nobody was brave enough to pass them. _'I hope everything is fine, Ukitake...' _The doctor thought wishfully. _'Those Shinigami look for Ichigo and they were supposed to be here... Either they ran away or got caught...' _Dark thoughts loomed over the old man. He decided to look somewhere else. Leaving Part 13, he entered a dark tunnel, inhabited by homeless and drunkards of Rukongai. Most of these people were once citizens of Soul Society. However, they were exiled to the Earth for many reasons – unknown illnesses, crimes against the law, their own choice, etc. Criminals had always problems adapting to the new environment underground and so they refused to listen to Rukongai authorities. Isshin scanned over every sitting person and spotted a man with blond, shaggy hair, wearing a white-green stripped hat, rugged coat and a pair of broken sandals. _'He seems the most normal of them all...' _The doctor moved closer to the man and shook his arm. "Hello? Sir, can you hear me?" The blond man mumbled something under his nose, but didn't look at the other. Isshin analyzed his features. Skin was pale and cheeks were sunken. _'He looks dehydrated.' _Isshin reached for his water-bottle and poured some liquid down the stranger's throat. Weakened eyes opened up at the sensation and immediately the man's mouth gulped big amount of water.

"Phew! That's what I needed!" The stranger immediately became energetic and smiled at the old man. "Thanks, thanks! Who knows what would happen to me if I didn't drink or eat a little longer! By the way, do you happen to have something to eat?" The reaction startled Isshin, but at the same time he was glad the man was okay. He gave a small portion of taste block and watched the man chewing furiously. "Hmm, that's something new, but at the same time nutritional and quite tasty."

"You don't eat too much, do you?" Isshin asked, though he doubted his question. The man's body wasn't malnourished.

"I'm not accustomed to this place, yet." The blond man swallowed last piece of taste block and sighed in satisfaction.

"You're not from here?"

"Nope." The man chirped. "I actually come from Soul Society! However, they threw me out and sent me here. I've been searching for someone since that time." Isshin's eyes widened. _'This man is weird... Normally people don't talk about being from Soul Society just like that. I'd better leave him.' _The doctor hummed in thought. "But I don't think your reason of helping me was to listen to my story. May I help you?" The old man snapped out of his thoughts and smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, yeah. I'm actually looking for my son. Though I doubt you saw him, since you were lying cold on the ground." The blond smiled apologetically, honestly pitying the doctor's loss.

"I'm sorry, I can't help you with that. But maybe you can describe him to me? If I see him, I'll be sure to tell you."

"Thanks." The man didn't seem to be bad, so Isshin decided to describe his son. "Well, he's around 17 years old, have got brown eyes... And he may be limping. Oh, and most important, his hair's color is orange, but not a normal orange – a very vibrant orange." Grey eyes of the blond man widened in surprise. "If you see him, find me in Part 49, House 167, or ask everyone about Kurosaki Isshin – that's my name."

"Alright..." The blond moved closer, this time whispering. "And what's the name of your son?" Isshin smiled, believing that his search was going to be a lot easier with more people helping.

"He's Ichigo!" The stranger shook at the name. Grabbing the doctor's wrist, he quickly ran to the nearest dark corner and pinned the older to the wall. Isshin was speechless.

"You know where Ichigo is?" The blond's voice was very serious. "Speak."

"I don't know, I'm looking for him!" The doctor didn't like how the happy stranger became interested in his son. "How do you know about Ichigo? Are you a Soul Society's spy?" The other's eyes hardened. "I think I told your fox-faced boss that I will find Ichigo! Don't you dare to hurt my daughters!" The blond let go of the doctor and scowled. Something wasn't right with what the doctor was saying.

"If you're looking for Ichigo, then I'm coming with you."

"What? You must be joking."

"I'm not... You see, when I said I'm looking for someone – I'm also looking for Ichigo." The bearded man was confused. _'Why does everybody want to find Ichigo? Was he really that important in Soul Society?' _

"Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Kisuke Urahara."

_'Urahara...'_

"You... You're the one Ichigo told me about?" The doctor stood up and moved away from Kisuke. The blond nodded, slightly surprised that the humanoid actually bonded with someone. _'Isshin calls him his son...Does it mean he started to act like a human being?' _"M-My son..."

"He's not your son. It is me, who created him."

"Created?" More and more words were too confusing for Kurosaki. "What do you mean 'created'?"

"Ah yeah, there's no way you would know." The blond man smiled.

"Goddamit, answer me!" Anger was building up inside of him. There were too many questions inside of his head. Right in front of him was standing the man, who was with Ichigo from the beginning. The one, who probably put his beloved son through hell... "What is Ichigo to you!? What have you done to him!?" Urahara eyed the man suspiciously, considering revealing the truth to this complete stranger...

* * *

The Seretei's Special Unit waited patiently on the surface of the Earth, in their formation. Senkaimon – the Gate to Soul Society – slowly opened itself. Bright light and cloud of mist surrounded the area in front of it. Ichimaru Gin, 3rd Captain, smiled widely at the blurry figures inside of the Gate. Seven people stepped out of the door and approached the formation. In the middle, a grin appeared behind the glass of protection-mask. The pair of glasses were shining in amusement.

"It's been a while, Gin." Aizen greeted the captain, shaking his hand firmly. "That's nice of you and your group to greet me as if I was the Head Commander."

"Yea, just practicin' for the future~!" The silver-haired Shinigami answered. "You came here pretty fast, Doctor Aizen. Unfortunately, We haven't been able to capture the Subject #15, yet."

"It's fine." The group from Soul Society entered the Eastern gate of Rukongai and headed to the Control Station. "I want to see the samples you have found in the Part 13." He turned to the group of accompanying Shinigami. "Squad 5 – scatter around the Rukongai and search for the Subject! If anyone's action seems suspicious to you, you're allowed to terminate that person." The group called in understanding and left their boss with the captain. Brown eyes scanned the place, when something caught their attention. Behind steel bars of prison cell were sitting and crying two little girls. One of them, with black hair, was glaring furiously at him and his companion. "Who are these kids?"

"Them? Well, they may be our Triumph Card in getting the Subject back. However, they refuse to tell us anything."

"Have you used the Serum?" Ichimaru's wide grin shortened a little at the though of giving the Serum. Adult people passed out from a small injection and he didn't know if a child could do better. He shook in negative response. "Well then, be sure to interrogate both girls." Ichimaru nodded.

Away from the Control Station the group of Shinigami from Soul Society parted their ways in search for the Subject #15. Five of them flashedtheir light through tunnels, asked people on the streets and barged into houses. However, the remaining one stepped into shadows, left the uniform and put on a dark-brown coat with a hood. Nobody looked at the solider, except for a small girl, who held her mother's hand. The Shinigami changed his whole attire and shape. Single strands of black hair were hidden under the hood. The girl made an eye-contact with two pools of purple. The person quickly left the shadows and blended with a crowd, leaving the small girl confused. "Mommy! Mommy, look! That man has just became a female!"

* * *

"No... This just can't be true... I refuse this to be true!" Isshin shouted from the bottom of his lungs. "This is bullshit!" Urahara sighed for the 100th time since the beginning of his explanation. Having nothing to lose, he decided to describe whole situation to the Kurosaki doctor and hope for cooperation. Kisuke needed somebody, who knew Rukongai well. Otherwise, finding Ichigo would be impossible. "Ichigo... Ichigo can't be..."

"He is a humanoid, not a human." The blond man repeated, again. "Look, Mr. Kurosaki, here on Earth people are very oblivious to things that are happening in Soul Society. We, scientist, have been trying to make the project 'Substitute' successful for the past 20 years. Our main goal was to maintain good condition of health in Soul Society and help people on the Earth. Ichigo, or the Subject #15 as we call him, is our first achievement. He lives, he learns, he interacts. He's a perfect human being that doesn't need to drink or to eat, or to sleep!"

"How can you call him a 'perfect human being', when you've just tried to proof he's not human, at all?" Isshin slowly put all pieces of puzzles into their places. The fact Ichigo wasn't human would explain a lot of things. He was healing too fast, he couldn't eat or drink, he was talking like a machine from the beginning. But some of these things changed... "Whatever, I will not accept this fact. Ichigo has got his mind and can make independent decisions. He has got emotions! What kind of robot can actually do that!?"

"I think I said it bazilion times – he's not a robot! He's a humanoid, made of synthetic materials that imitate normal, human cells and containing an organic sample of human DNA. Despite some structural differences and a lack of birth, Ichigo is not different from any other person! In fact..." Urahara smiled widely. "When you said he actually started to show emotions and make decisions on his own, it made me happy..."

"Why?"

"Because that means he even might become human..." Isshin looked sadly on the ground. A puddle of water in front of him reflected his bearded, old face. It was confused and tired. Since Ichigo came to his house, he wanted to know about the boy's earlier life. The more he knew about his son, the less he liked it. Learning that Ichigo was created made him even more sick. "Unfortunately, I can no longer do anything about Ichigo. Soul Society exiled me after letting him escape and fall from air tubes. I gave him enhanced shots with regeneration-substance that is used in Skin Defragmentation... And only thanks to that, he survived..."

"He was very lucky, as well..." Isshin spoke. "My daughters were near the place where he fell and brought him to me."

"Thank you for taking care of him." Urahara bowed his head. "Now, we need to find him." The blond passed Isshin and walked down the street. The other caught up with him.

"But why are you looking for him?"

"Because he's not safe. I'm responsible for his life and it is my duty is to hide him from Soul Society."

"Heh... You almost sound like a father." The black-haired spoke with sigh.

"Well, technically, I am!" Urahara grinned joyfully. "But he's not named 'Urahara Ichigo', right?" Isshin nodded, smiling under his nose. While walking with the blond scientist, the doctor was planning how to protect his son and save his daughters.

* * *

"STOP!" But Kaien's warning came out too late. Ichigo tried with all his might to stop his Shunpo. His mind focused on his feet, but ignored a concrete block in front of him. No sooner, he tripped and both boys fell on the ground with a loud crash. The impact affected Kaien mostly, since his legs both broken. Loud curses escaped from his lips when he tried to grab his limbs. Ichigo slowly rose his body up, looking around in confusion. Tingling feeling showed up on his injuries. _'The regeneration must be working now...' _he thought and moved closer to the other. Kaien was breathing heavily with his eyes closed.

"Are you alright?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? I can feel bones in my legs are smashed into pieces, some of my ribs are broken and I probably have internal bleeding. OF COURSE I'M FUCKING ALRIGHT! FUCK!" Ichigo sighed. Despite poor condition, Kaien seemed to have enough power to be sarcastic. However, angry response made the younger feel insecure and stop his tracks. Huff escaped from pale lips. "Sorry. The pain is getting on my nerves." Ichigo nodded in understanding. "Do you see that lantern over there? Drag me there, please." Ichigo scanned the tunnel and spotted lantern. It was about 100 meters away from their place. He was concerned about the long trip, but decided not to question any further. After a while, both boys reached the lightened place near a wall and rested. Ichigo grew more concerned about Kaien's condition. His face was white like a piece chalk and made his hair even more black than before. Using all information from books about first aid, Ichigo checked all vital signs and assessed damages. Both male's legs were swollen and sort of crooked. Bleeding from cuts on chest and face was slow, but blood was still flowing out. Breaths were shallow and rapid. Ichigo checked the skin. It was damp. Damp and cold at the same time.

"This is circulatory shock... Fuck!" The orangette cursed lack of proper equipment. If he didn't act quickly, Kaien might even die... "HELP! SOMEBODY!" Not even thinking, the boy started to shout. His yelling was stopped by a weak palm on his shoulder.

"I-It's alright, Ichigo... I'll be fine... I just need..." Kaien tried to create a sentence, but coughing interrupted him. "I just need... to rest... for a while... I'm a bit sleepy."

"Oh, no, you won't fall asleep!" Ichigo slapped the other, hoping it would have some awaking abilities. But Kaien was still weakening in front of his brown eyes. To his surprise, a small chuckle escaped from pale lips.

"Ichigo, don't worry." He shifted himself a little, hissing in pain. "I was a Shinigami... I have regeneration abilities, too, though... they're not as impressive... as yours." Ichigo put his palm on the spot, where he had a wound after the accident with Shunpo. As expected, there was no trace of it. "And I hope... It's not too late for me to heal..." Pale-green light covered both Kaien's palms. "Put my hands on my chest... I must stop the bleeding..." Ichigo did as he was told and waited patiently. Even though Kaien was using a healing technique, his condition wasn't changing for better. The orange-haired teenager looked around the tunnel in hope to find something useful for the situation. A small paper-box drew his attention. _'This is the box Mr. Ukitake gave me!' _He grabbed the box and opened it. To his surprise, the box was full of ampoules with light-violet substance, labeled 'SD'. Next to ampules, there were a few needles and syringes. _'I know this substance...'_

"Kaien, look at it!" The male tried his best to stay focused on Ichigo's words. "This is the pack Mr. Ukitake said I should give to my Dad. This substance... It looks the same as the one they used to give me in Soul Society."

"You mean the one that hurts like hell?" Kaien cringed at thought of extra pain. "SD stands for Skin Defragmentation... So it must be it..."

"What if we use it?" Kaien considered for a moment experiencing unbearable pain and leaving everything to his healing technique. His vision was doubled and getting blurry slowly. A great filter with buzzing machinery was blocking his ears – that was how he could hear. He took a few deep breaths.

"Draw out two ampoules and inject them into my vein." Though it was hard, the decision had been made. "Also, break three of them and pour it on my wounds." Ichigo paled at the thought. "Also, be prepared – I may pass out." Ichigo nodded and did everything as was instructed. His hands were shaking when he aimed for the vein in Kaien's arm. The substance slowly disappeared from the syringe, right into the circulatory system. To Ichigo's surprise, no scream was heard.

"Kaien?" He looked up and squeaked in surprise. With opened eyes and serene look, Kaien was unconsciously sitting on the floor. Ichigo checked pulse and sighed in relief. Though it was rapid, it WAS there. "He fainted after three ampoules... And to think I survived shots that were triple as big..." Ichigo said to himself and waited patiently for Kaien to regain his consciousness, from time to time checking his vital signs.

* * *

"R-Rukia..." Renji stood dumbfounded when he saw the familiar face of his companion, Kuchiki Rukia. The petite girl approached the red-haired male slowly and embraced him tenderly. Mixed feelings ran through man's mind. He tightly embraced her back, burying his face in black locks. Salty tears fell down on his cheeks. "You came back..."

"Yeah, it was tough, but I did..." Rukia freed herself from the embrace and quickly wiped away any traces of tears. "And what about you, Renji? You thought I was too weak to escape these idiots from Soul Society? Were you crying every night?" He taunting tone made the man red from anger and embarrassment.

"Shut up! It's your fault you haven't even informed me! You just said you are running away and that's it! Besides, it took you really long to come back!"

"Stupid, I had to imitate one of the soldiers to get down to the Earth safely. It wasn't an easy task, you know?"

"But Rukia, NOT EVEN A FUCKING MESSAGE FOR ALMOST A MONTH!?" The girl seemed to be mixed. She was really glad her disguise wasn't uncovered for such a long time. After reaching the Rukongai, she hurried over the Part 25 to meet everyone from the Force and give them a full report about the Subject #15. But, most of all, she needed to see that dumb tattooed eyebrows. She was aware of his angry reaction, but never even thought about him crying over her.

"I'm sorry, my bad." She spoke with penitence. Renji ran his hand through his face and sat on the chair. "What about the mission? Did you get the blood sample of the Subject? Was he terminated?"

"No... Unfortunately, the Subject terminated itself before anything could be done." Rukia rose her eyebrow in question. "It was destroyed. He fell from Soul Society. No traces of him could be found."

"What do you mean 'was destroyed'? There is no way this thing could be destroyed!" It was Renji's turn to look confused. "The Subject #15 survived and now the Seretei is sending Shinigami to Rukongai in search of it!"

"Survived? After this fall?"

"Yes!" The girl shouted in desperation. "Great dose of regeneration shots were injected inside of it and so it was enough to prevent him from destruction! How come the Force hadn't done anything about that? Besides, the genes he acquired weren't normal, after all. Our boss have got the strongest genotype from us all."

"Our boss? Wait, I'm lost – why are you mentioning Aro?" The petite girl stood in awe at Renji's words.

"You mean you haven't heard what I told you?" Rukia paled. The man shook his head. "I said – the Substitute looks EXACTLY like our boss, Aro, so this must mean they used his DNA." Renji cursed himself. He recalled the disturbance of signal when the girl was handing over this information. "Before I met you, I bumped into Shinji and asked him about anything suspicious, besides Shinigami roaming around. He said something about a boy, who literally fell from Soul Society and lived with a small family in Part 49. He also mentioned something about 'super regeneration skills'..." Renji nodded, when a realization dawned on him. "You get it now..."

"Shit! Doctor Kurosaki was actually keeping the Subject #15!" The red-head hit a desk with his fist and quickly moved to the door. "Rukia, we need to go and inform Aro. He's with it at this moment!" Rukia's eyes widened in shock. She nodded and ran Renji towards the Part 49 of Rukongai district.

* * *

After several hours, an eyelid shook and revealed tired aquamarine eye. Kaien weakly moved his head to the left and to the right, looking for something unusual.

"Good, you're awake now." Both eyes spotted orange locks and a teenage boy. "Your cuts have closed and your legs look a lot better than before. How do you feel?" Kaien moved a little, still in pain after the substance, but not as much as before.

"I feel as if ten tanks just ran over me..." Kaien tried to smile.

"The medicine worked." Ichigo spoke with joy. "Fortunately, you heart didn't stop and your condition was quite stable, but hell, was I frightened..."

"I admit, this idea was almost suicidal..." The older male hummed in response. "Let's just be happy that I'm still alive..." Kaien concentrated his Spirit particles on his hands, making them glow pale-green like before. He used his healing technique on his legs, hoping he would be able to walk soon. "Three ampoules... It was a lot for me. Did you mentioned before that you used to have it injected every day in Soul Society?"

"Yeah, but the syringe was a lot bigger. And I couldn't fall into comma after it, so I envy you." The boy tried to smile. Kaien watched Ichigo's face for a moment, not being able to read the emotion the other had. If he could describe it... it would be a cold sadness... "Hmm... This is the first time I actually envied someone... That's a strange feeling."

"It's not foreign for people... For example, look at people on the Earth." Ichigo paid attention to the other's words. "Soul Society is a place for only 'chosen ones'. It's so high, you can see clear blue sky, feel the sunlight, and breathe the air. And here? Here you have to do everything not to get killed... People from the Earth envy those in Soul Society a lot. They just want to come out of darkness and be acknowledged. They wan to live happily."

"But you're from Soul Society and decided to come here." Ichigo claimed, amusing Kaien with his observation.

"That's because the coin has two sides..." Ichigo blinked in confusion. "It may look heavenly and be full of wonders, but Soul Society has got major flaws. A dark side that only a few can see... And after I saw it, I decided to end my bonds with this place once and for all..." Aquamarine eyes shone with sorrow. It made Ichigo feel uneasy and curious at the same time.

"Not only that... You're also fighting against Soul Society..." Ichigo commented. "Why?" Kaien looked at the teenager, not sure what to say next. Normally, he would just tell him to stop asking or just simply stop talking. But after Ichigo used Shunpo in his first try, he felt that this boy had a strange potential. He wanted to use this potential for later. Moreover, there was something about the orangette that just didn't let him hide anymore.

"Soul Society showed me a beautiful, bright world of order and kindness. Unfortunately, it was a big lie and I hate being lied to. All the mutinies, all fights and attacks – most of them were started by Shinigami... And I shamefully played along for too long." Kaien frowned at the memory of the fights he participated in. "When they gave us orders like 'Kill everybody', not caring if they were children, women or men, it had to be done... I wasn't made to protect lives, but to take them away. This brutality lasted for almost three years. I was a killing-machine – cold, emotionless, without mercy... I remember every person I killed, every face, every expression in front of me... That's why I learned to slash them from behind – to stop their eyes from looking at me." He took a deep breath. "Finally, I snapped... It was three years ago, during the Rukongai mutiny, that was caused by a Shinigami, who killed a young couple. The crowd was full of anger and every person attacked us. We had skills in battle, but they had quantity. I panicked for a moment, not knowing where to strike, when suddenly, a young girl attacked me. And I simply killed her. She had this determined look on her face..."

_"JUSTICE FOR THE EARTH! KILL THE SOUL SOCIETY DOGS! KILL THE BLACK DOGS!"_

"This faith in freedom, this desperate calls... She was special and she fought for right reasons... That made me realize what I had been doing for almost three years, since I graduated from the Shinigami Academy. I've made a decision – this had to end..."

"And you disappeared..." Ichigo ended Kaien's monologue. This was the first time the older male said something about himself and he knew that it was special.

"When I finally left Soul Society, I learned something. It doesn't matter if you're the best from the best or you are a genius. If you act against yourself and force yourself to do horrible things, you're just a shell of a human. A hollow shell, full of meaningless bullshit that others give you." Kaien turned his eyes to the teenager. His look was mixed, as if the orangette didn't know how to react to the news. Truth to be told, Ichigo wasn't familiar with empathy before and it made harder for him to express compassion. Kaien chuckled and put his hand on orange locks, caressing then with care. "I do hope you'll stay true to yourself, Ichigo." Ichigo froze. The urge, which he thought he had under control, came back. This time, it was mild and wasn't sickening. It was warm and pleasant. Kaien withdrew his hand and smiled apologetically at the boy. "I'm sorry that you had to hear all of this. I'll understand if you think of me as a horrible person."

"N-No." Ichigo averted his eyes from Kaien. He tried to compose a coherent sentence and fight the strange urge back. "I-I mean... Before, I thought you were a horrible person..." Kaien hummed in understanding, yet waited for the other to continue. "But after you told me about... All of that... I don't think you're horrible, at all... I wish I could feel pity for you."

"Huh?" Kaien was dumbfounded. "What's with that statement? Normally you should just feel bad for others, not wish for that!" Ichigo was confused. "It's either 'I feel bad for you' or 'I don't feel bad for you'." He seemed to be irritated.

"Ah... Then... I feel bad for you." Ichigo corrected himself. The frown left Kaien's features, changing into genuine smile.

"Thank you."

* * *

**AG-RO-TAG's note!**

Hello, good evening! (It's evening here, but it may be morning THERE ;P)

**How are you? I gave you another chapter! There is still no art-block, so it's a good sign! I need to push it as fas as I can ;) I can spoil you something - in about 4 chapters there will be the end of PART I of the story.  
"What is this PART I?" you may ask. Well, you'll know it soon ;D**

**And Kaien finally started to talk about himself! I guess being on the verge of death can change your way of thinking, huh? ;P After writing the part with him and Ichigo, I again had a moment of doubt about making or not making them as a pairing. They do look cute together :) But we'll see it change... More and more people know who Ichigo REALLY is... or rather WHAT Ichigo is!  
****Oh, and this is so far my longest chapter EVER written - almost 5 000 words!**  


**That's all! Thank you for any of your reviews and i hope you enjoyed the chapter ;)**

Take care!


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